A Second Chance
by LazerShaman
Summary: Warning-Self Insert, and I really suck at summaries. When a thirteen year old boy gets caught and severely injured in an explosion, he is transported to Equestria for reasons unknown. There he not only has to save himself, but his friends, Equestria, and Earth itself. It's only a matter of time before everything goes up in flames... Can he stop it?
1. Uprising

**A/N: Alright, let's try this again. This is the first fanfic I have put effort into and I hope that it will hold your interest as well as mine. Please tell me if I'm making myself too Gary Stu and ways to help remedy that. Also, I'm new-ish to the herd and just came out of the stable recently so if I'm wrong on some character aspects notify me. Also, there's one f-bomb, so… yeah. Now, the mandatory disclaimer;  
>I DO NOT OWN THIS EXCEPT FOR THE SHAMELESS SELF INSERT OF ME AND MY WRITINGS! MLP:FiM BELONGS TO HASBRO!<br>EDIT: Wow, there were a LOT of mistakes. Hope I fixed them all.  
><strong>

I am dying. I can feel my heart slowing, my body shutting down. I can feel the splinters, the burns, the bruises all over my body. I can hear the voices of people around me. But worst of all, I know that I will never get to say goodbye.

**(TWO HOURS AGO, SOUTHWESTERN OHIO)**

** "**Come on Brian, we don't have all day!" I heard my friend's older brother call for me from his car. We were going out to eat dinner in some restaurant in the Greater Cincinnati area, and then hang out in his apartment.

"Hold on, I still gotta grab some things!" I called out my window as I pulled on my grandfather's old Vietnam War army jacket and grabbed my knife from its sheath to make sure it was still sharp. I've always carried a knife with me. Even to school, I would keep a small pen knife in my coat or jeans. I thought I wouldn't need it, but it was nice that it was there. The one I took with me was five or six inches long, with a leather sheath. Once I had grabbed that and some money (of which I didn't have much of) I ran down the stairs and hopped into the back seat.

My friend, Aidan, is probably borderline insane. He always does the weirdest things, and tells even stranger stories about the craziest things. Hell, I think he's done crack or something, but I'll never know. He's kind of short, probably around 5'1, and has red hair which always sticks up all over the place. Me? Well, I am pretty tall for my age **(2)**, 5'9, and somewhat lean. I have shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. The difference between me and him? He gets all the ladies. I'm just the antisocial "wild" boy who spends most of his time in forests. I don't blame them for not accepting me, it's human nature to destroy what they don't understand.

We drove for at least a half hour with me listening to Aidan's craziness and his brother trying to drown us out with an assortment of rap music and hip hop. It wasn't my favorite, but I didn't complain. It gave me a break from my crazy buddy's wild stories and jokes until he realized I wasn't listening too hard. 

"And then, he lit the paper thing stickin' outta the bottle **(1)** on fire with 'is lighter and threw it up in the air!" I couldn't hear what he said after that because his brother had turned the music up again. We climbed out of his brother's Accord and walked into the restaurant, completely oblivious of what was about to come.

For the most part, dinner was the same as the car ride. My friend and his never-ending tales of whatever the hell he does, his brother ignoring us, me listening and observing our surroundings. I've always been an observer, a sentinel, if you will. I'm only thirteen years old, but I've seen things that I never should have. I've seen people killed in front of me, people who are so wounded they have to hold their own intestines in, people who are mourning for their families. I know how those children feel. I lost my father when I was three or four: I can't remember. My mother became addicted to alcohol and eventually started to beat me. Some say I've never been the same. I just call it growing up.

Once Aidan and I finished and paid the bill, we started to walk to his apartment, which was about ten or twelve blocks away. His brother "went" to the bathroom, but he ditched us after he paid his share of the bill and drove off to God knows where. It wasn't a problem, as we were both boy scouts and had hiked many times. We decided to take a small shortcut through an alley. Big mistake. As soon as we couldn't be seen from the street, three armed thugs with handguns made their presence known.

"PHONE AND WALLET! NOW!" One of the thieves came up to me and started to search my pockets. My knife was under my jacket and I couldn't get it with the man right in front of me. Aidan looked at me, speechless. I could see emotions cross his eyes. Confusion, anger, sadness, and most of all, fear.

"Hey boss, this one's got somethin' on 'im." _Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit! _I thought as he went up to my coat pockets. "Jackpot! This one's got at least 60 bucks with him!" _Alright Brian think. There's gotta be a way out of this. Three men, two armed with semi-automatic hand guns. And all I have is a knife that I can't get to unless I want to get shot… _

"Check the inside pockets too, don't want to leave anything." _Dammit! He's gonna find the knife! Think think think! _ As soon as I opened my jacket, my hand went to the knife. A gunshot rang out and I heard a cry of pain as I saw Aidan crumple to the ground.

"AIDAN!" I yelled. I felt tears in my eyes that I had no time for. I blinked them back quickly as I saw one of the gunmen swing their weapon around to face me. _No time to think! _I felt a burning pain on my forearm as I swung my knife around, hoping to connect with flesh. It did. I managed to make a deep laceration in his right arm. He dropped the gun, which I took advantage of. I sidestepped and kicked his knee from the side and heard a loud crack. I grabbed the gun, only to find it had no ammo in the magazine. One of the other men grabbed a trash can lid and used it like a shield while the other gunslinger opened fire. I turned and ran, but there was a brick wall. I was cornered. The man with the lid was closing in, as well as the gunman. I could hear them yelling to each other, their loud footsteps in the seemingly normal back alley. _Shit! _Luckily for me, they weren't as fast as I was and I ran straight towards them, kicking down the shield man and charging the gun thug. Once again, I felt a blazing pain as I was shot in the leg and I fell to the ground.

"Nighty night, you little fuck." The man was holding the gun to my temple, and the other was tending to the man I had slashed. I laid my head on the ground, and looked hope right in the eyes. The shield man must have been armed too! There was a snub-nose revolver that had three left in the cylinder next to me. I reached out but not fast enough. The gun thug let his guard down as he kicked the revolver away, which gave me a chance to grab his arm, twist it hard enough to get him off of me, and limp towards the gun. As soon as I grabbed it and incapacitated the unarmed thug, I turned to face the leader.

"YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" He roared as he fired at me again, loading his weapon. I turned and fired, this one catching his shoulder. "NOW YOU DIE!" Another shot went off as I ran behind some metal garbage cans. I could hear him running at me. _Will he ever give up? And how the hell has somebody not heard all this? _I jumped the cans, hoped my revolver had a shot left in it, and pulled the trigger. The revolver went off and the bullet went wide, catching a pipe which immediately started hissing. _What the hell is that smell? Is that- _My thoughts were interrupted by a blinding light and an explosion as he pulled the trigger.

**He's referring to a Molotov cocktail if you are wondering.**

**I'm thirteen. Don't like it? Suck it up or get the hell out.**

**So… What did you think? I know it should be longer but I didn't know much as to what I was going to do for the fight. Read and review, constructive criticism would be appreciated, but flames are accepted as well. Also, do you think I should give Brian a love interest? Just curious.**

**-Lazer**


	2. Awaken

**A/N:  
>SORRY ABOUT HOW LONG THIS TOOK! I USED TO BE A FREQUENT UPDATER LIKE YOU, BUT THEN I TOOK A SKYRIM IN THE XBOX! (Way overused, but couldn't resist.) Anyways, now that you're up to speed on what happened to Brian, here's the second chapter. Read and Review as always. I don't own MLP.<strong>

** (PRESENT)**

As I lay here, I realize that my life was a waste. I failed. I failed to save Aidan. I failed to stop the whole robbery. I failed. Now, dying in this grass, I know I am a-wait, what? Grass? I open my eyes to see a firmament of blue, rather than walls and a cloudy sky, in front of my eyes. _Well Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore._ I thought right before everything faded away.

I think I fell asleep or went into shock, because I'm reliving my memories. Thankfully, my good memories come first. A birthday party. Me getting a new computer from my dad. Seeing the one girl who actually talked to me. The day I joined the Boy Scouts. These come and go by quickly, before the nightmare begins. Dad's death. Mom's turn to alcoholism. My friends all turning away from me. My original escape before I ran out of food. My comings and goings between my campsite and my house, afraid that Mom would be there. Beatings are shown in circumstances when I had failed to move fast enough. Finally, and most recently, I see Aidan.

I don't think I fully understand where I am, but wherever it is, I'm not home. I try to think of what happened-as painful as it is. _Let's see… I go out for the evening, get mugged by a bunch of jackasses, get one of my only friends killed, and what seems to be dying in an explosion. What a nice day. What did I do to deserve this? Did I do something wrong? I'm not innocent, I'm definitely not remotely close to being a good person, hell, I just seriously injured if not killed 3 people. Then again, that was self- defense, but that's still a bit serious. Yeah, that's probably it._

_Wait, I just heard something. Am I alive? Is this heaven, or is this hell? Probably hell. Just a few more seconds now, and I'll be in eternal pain and agony. Wait, if I can hear, wouldn't that mean I'm still alive? Great, I'm still alive and I'm going to be charged with murder. Or I'm dead-and I'm in hell hearing the screams of the beaten and the damned. Well this has been lovely and all, but I really want to wake up, or find out I'm dead. I don't have all eter-wait, yes I do. Dammit._

Sometime later, the sounds I'd been hearing were getting louder, and I finally discerned that it was people talking. _Probably some doctors or nurses, considering I'm most likely in a hospital. _All of the sudden, I realized I could feel again, but this time I'm not on grass. _Well, at least I'm not numb. Still hurts like hell though. _I opened my eyes, and was immediately blinded by the light. As soon as my eyes adjusted, I looked around for the first time in my new environment. The first thing I noticed was that I'm obviously not in a hospital. No, there were books everywhere, on shelves, on desks, and the walls were made out of wood. Well, most everything was made out of wood. I look up to see a canopy of the brightest green imaginable. I couldn't help but to gasp before I said under my breath,

"I'm in a tree?" I caught a blur of motion in my peripheral vision, and immediately acted asleep, hoping whoever it was didn't see me. Once again, I heard a voice-definitely male. However, this sounded like a third grader, no older than 10 years old! I opened one eye, very carefully, assuming I was going to see who ever lived here's son. Rather than a small boy, I saw what looked like Baby Godzilla. I'll admit that I was so surprised I almost screamed. I had to bite my tongue. "Why doesn't she just put the books away herself, if they mean so much to her… well, maybe not as much as whatever the hay that thing is." I saw Godzilla gesture to my position with his hand-claw thing, but thankfully he didn't look at me.

He picked up a few books off of the desks, and appeared to be putting them back where they belong: I finally put two and two together and realized that I was in a library.

_Alright, I'm apparently in a library, which is built inside a tree, with Mini-Godzilla here, meaning there's most likely a parent lizard-dragon thing nearby. Where the hell is my knife? Wait a moment…_

_I'M FREAKING NAKED?_

I failed to notice that my clothing wasn't on due to the large, warm blanket that was covering me and almost all my body was bandaged. _Well frick, now Aidan is dead, I very well may be dead, I don't know where I am, and now I'm naked. Can this possibly-NO. Something bad always happens when-_

My thoughts were interrupted by another voice calling from my left hand side.

"SPIKE! I THINK IT'S AWAKE!"

_Well, there goes the escape plan._

I turned my head over to where the voice came from, and to my surprise there was what looked like a small, purple horse standing there. _The hell is this? A purple horse? That talks? I must be tripping on some drugs. I don't care what these things look like-I'm getting my clothes and getting the hell out._

The horse started walking towards me, and I jumped up out of the bed and made a dash towards where my clothes were, suddenly aware of all the pain and a strange weight on my back.

"Wait! Don't go out th-" I didn't let the thing finish it's sentence as I burst out the door with all my clothes in a bundle, along with my knife and the now somewhat useless revolver, unless I find ammo, that is. Once out the door, I immediately noticed that there were even more pastel colored creatures outside. One with a lily in its hair took one look at me and passed out as I ran towards where I learned to live. The forest. I don't know how long I ran, but eventually I made it to the edge of the forest. I took a minute to take deep breaths, and get my clothes on. I had some trouble getting my shirt and jacket back on, there seemed to be something on my back, but I decided I have bigger problems right now. I moved deeper into the forest, keeping an eye on the path but staying well away from it. After all, I didn't want to be seen by another one of the horses.

Along my way, I noticed that many of the plants here were the same as the ones back home and gathered the useful ones: Jack-in-the-pulpits, cattails near an unusually strong stream, and some vines for rope. After traveling for a considerable amount of time, I saw a dilapidated stone building that I decided to make camp in. I started grabbing firewood as I made my way towards the castle-like structure, suddenly aware that the sun was starting to go down. As I made my way through the construct, I realized it was meant to be a palace or stronghold. I saw old tapestries on the wall, although I didn't take time to fully examine them. I'd have time for that later. All that mattered then was to get a fire, and find a way to hold water. _My back hurts like hell, I wonder if I injured it seriously or something. _

I moved through the castle quickly, trying to find a pot or a pan, along with anything that would make starting a fire easier. The sun was almost down by the time I found a couple of small pots, and one small candle. _Candle doesn't make things much easier, but at least I'll have a way to keep a flame for a while if the fire goes out._

_**(?)**_

"Stupid boy-what does he think he's doing? He's not supposed to be here…"

**How was that? I'm so sorry this took so long, I really didn't want to procrastinate, but stuff happens. School, dealing with the kids there, Xbox, all that. I apologize for the wait-and I'll really try to get writing more. However, I did get one thing done-I was able to tell the world that I was a brony, and I'm pretty proud of it. For all those closet bronies out there, don't be afraid-haters gonna hate, ponies gonna pwn.**

**~LazerShaman**


	3. Reveal

**A/N: I'm immediately starting this right after chapter two was posted, so hopefully it'll be a faster update.**

I opened my eyes, saw the gray of the walls, and was about to go back to sleep when I remembered that I couldn't afford to stay asleep. "Oh," I said, and immediately recoiled at the sound of my voice, surprised. Noticing the fire was low-I don't know how it survived the night, but I piled more firewood on top of it and started to eat some of the plants I'd gathered yesterday. _How the hell did I not notice that? _ Looking at my surroundings once more, I begin to notice how many paintings, books, and tapestries I missed on my way in last night. I resolved right there and then to learn about where I am-and how I get home.

_These tapestries… so intricately designed-no way it was those horses. They can't hold things with their hooves, so who made this? Or if they did, how?_

I once again had a "genius" moment and realized I must be in the palace's library. _God I'm such a dumbass. I swear to God, if I wake up in one more library I'm gonna… what's this?_ A glint of a gold-like metal caught my eye-a book. Something was important about this book, I can't describe how I knew, but I could just… know that it was important. I pulled it off of the shelf, and looked at the cover. A picture of a unicorn with emerald eyes stared right back at me, along with its embroidered corners. Opening the cover, I read the title aloud.

"The Mare in the Moon…" There was no author listed. As I turned the page, I noticed that there were a couple pictures in a foreign style of drawing. I brushed it off, and started reading.

"Once upon a time, in the magical land of _Equestria_, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. The younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects: all the different types of ponies.

But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Night Mare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night.

Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: The Elements of Harmony! Using the magic of The Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon—"

"...and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since." I noticed that I said aloud the last part, and immediately froze stock-still, hoping nothing had heard me reading aloud.

As I sat there, I had some time to think to myself about the book I was holding in my hands. What made it so important? It sounded like a damn fairy tale. _But if it's a fairy tale, why does it feel so… real? Well, that really hasn't helped at all… I should see what else I can find, but at least I know what this place is called now. Equestria… has a bit of a ring to it. _

Having found some other books based on historical fact, I read that the two rulers were in fact the winged unicorns mentioned in "The Mare in the Moon," Luna and Celestia. _Seems like a damned communist regime, but there's peace. _ Moving from the historical books, I looked for anything that might have a record of human life. No such luck there, but considering I'm in Ponyland-er… Equestria, that's not surprising.

I spent the next couple of days wandering the castle and the surrounding area-only to hear they were looking for me. However, I saw that same purple one, with several others were the only ones looking for me. That, or I didn't see any of the other search parties.

Being on a food search, I went out into the surrounding forest and was left to my own thoughts, but not for long. The search party had returned, and was looking grim.

_I'm not sure why I'm so damn important to these ponies, but they're gonna find me one of these days. Besides, as far as I can tell, they're not armed. Why would I even think they're armed? They can't even carry anything, except on their backs. I might as well just come out…_

"Twi-Ah' don't think ah can take 'ff anymore time from tha farm, we find it today 'r we don't find it at ah'll."

"I agree with Applejack, this is taking much too much time off of my busy schedule, and a huge order just came up. Darling, I don't think I'll be able to do this for much longer."

"I don't know either… Angel's been upset that I haven't been at home… but I don't know… I think I'll have to call it quits tomorrow if that's alright…" I heard a somewhat strange squeaking noise after this quiet voice.

I took this moment to make my presence known. Drawing my knife, I thought: _Here goes nothing… might as well use some intimidation. _

"Come on, everypony, it's got to be here somewh-"

I jumped out from my hiding spot, and threw my knife through the air, sticking the blade inches away from the leader's face. They all screamed loudly, and I stood as tall as I could with the weight that I STILL couldn't figure out as to what it was. I must've looked pretty damn scary with all the dirt and dust on my face, along with being about their height. (if they were to stand on two legs) I probably looked like a soldier that just fought his way out of hell with my army coat on.

"Who the hell are you and WHY did I wake up in this place?" I yelled angrily, but secretly impressed at how cool that sounded. However, after the initial surprise, a blur of every color went past my face as I was knocked to the ground, leaving me vulnerable. "So it's that kind of party…" I muttered under my breath, only to have another blur, this one shaded pink, jump on top of me and pin my arms and legs to the ground.

"A PARTY! I LOVE PARTIES! What kind of party will it be? I hope it's a surprise party! Or a birthday party! I wonder" I cut off this pink pony's tirade by lifting up first my right arm, then my left in an effort to push her off. _What the hell went wrong? _ Pushing off the ground with my back and pushing up with my arms, I flipped her end over end as I stood and took a defensive stance.

"Alright, the knife was just for intimidation, as was the yelling, but please, I can do this all day if that's what you ponies were looking for!" I stood ready for another attack, but got hit hard from behind and fell to the ground, again. _This is becoming repetitive. _Somewhat expecting this, I rolled to my feet and swung out with a fist, only to be lifted up into the air and swallowed by a reddish purple glow

"HOW DARE YOU!" The meek, yellow Pegasus started to walk towards me, eyes fixated on mine. From what I had seen before, this was completely out of character for the yellow Pegasus. "YOU COME HERE ALMOST DEAD, THEN YOU DO THIS? Just because you're not like us, and afraid of where you are, DOESN'T mean that you can do that. You DO NOT, hurt ANYPONY here, got that?"

_Dammit Brian, look away… look away… Wait a second, afraid of where I am hmm? I'll show you afraid._

"No. I don't. Because whatever the hell brought me here, is bringing me out. I don't even know if I'm alive right now. I very well may be dead, in a coffin right now. Did it occur to you that maybe I'm not afraid of where I am, but afraid of having to face what I've done in my life? Maybe you should think about that before you start to tell off somebody you don't know-because maybe there's more to them than what you have seen, because you've seen NOTHING." My voice steadily rising from a whisper to a shout, then a full out roar as I finished, the pony seemed very shocked and afraid, as did her "leader" and her accomplices.

"Well, now that you've oh-so-graciously rolled out the welcome mat, I think I'll go back to where I was before. And by that, I mean where I've been living for the past FIVE days in this crappy 'Equestria' or whatever the fuck you call it. (every single one winced at my language) Not where I can say I've lived most of my life, because that's not here. And you've taken that away from me." The ponies were silent as I grabbed my knife, sheathed it, and began walking down the dusty road to where the castle is located.

"WAIT!" I heard one cry out, as I marched down the road.

_This should be good. _"What now?" I yelled over my shoulder, still walking away.

"Don't go…" The purple unicorn had run up behind me, and was currently trotting beside me.

"Give me one good reason." Now actually talking to one, I felt nervous, not having many friends back home.

"I think we just got off on the wrong hoof. Look, my name's Twilight Sparkle, and those five ponies back there are my friends. I know who you are though." She said, unnerving me even more. _How does she know my name? How would she? It hasn't been spoken here at all!_

"Humor me." I replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Would your name happen to be," she struggled slightly with the pronunciation, "Brain… Bree-an…"

"It's Brian, don't wear it out."

"Oh, alright then… Well I'm Twil-" I cut her off quickly.

"…Twilight Sparkle, I got that the first time." We walked along in silence for some time, the group of other ponies trailing far behind as they talked amongst themselves. "I know this is kind of weird for you, because I'm not… a pony, but could you please tell me how I got here?"

"I can't say I know, because I actually found you at the edge of this very forest, and…" she trailed off.

"Let me guess, lots of blood, lots of burns, the usual."

"I'm not sure how that's normal for you, but yes. I didn't-still don't know what you were, but I couldn't just leave you there. I had to help you, so I took you back to Ponyville and-"

Cutting her off once again, I interrupted with my usual brand of sarcasm. "Ponyville? What a creative name. Let me guess, the next town over is Horsetown or Unicornopolis?"

Irritated by my sarcasm, she continued in an annoyed tone. "and did what I could to heal you. You were so beaten and broken… You wouldn't believe how many splinters I had to remove."

"And that included stripping me buck naked and putting my clothes on the other side of the room? Seems like there's more to this. Would you have anything to do with the fact my back feels like there's a car on it?" I unpleasantly recounted waking up and not knowing where I am, then realizing I was unarmed, naked, and discovered.

"No… maybe… well… there is one more thing but I think that can wait for now. Anything else you want to accuse me of?" _She catches on fast. Interesting._

"I don't know if I should be saying this, or even at all, but I can't help but to ask. Am I alive? Or is this purgatory? Because if I'm dead, I'm gonna go haunt the shit out of the people back home." I said, with somewhat of a menacing undertone. I could tell she was made a little nervous by that last statement.

"Of course you're alive, you still have your five senses, no? And besides, if you were dead I'm assuming you wouldn't be here." Twilight replied, in a calm manner.

"Right… well… I think I should be going now, so which way is the United States of America?"

"The what?"

"…"

"What? Seriously, what'd I say?"

**My longest chapter yet-and the one that's taken me the least amount of time to finish. I'm sorry that it takes so long to update, but I'm working on this whenever I get the chance. For the people following this, constructive criticizism would be appreciated as I don't know if I'm doing well or not (with the exception of PS3Concerned) . Read and review, people**

**~Lazer**


	4. Stargaze

**A/N: Once again, I am immediately beginning this chapter after the previous. However, school WILL be a problem this week, so I'm sorry if this doesn't get updated as quickly. Also, I know you are reading this, but REVIEW. I'd really like to hear feedback on what I can do better, because NOPONY is perfect, including me.**

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight. I'm in a magical land called 'Equestria,' you had absolutely nothing to do with my appearance here, and don't know how or why I got here, or how I can get back."<p>

"Exactly. You've asked your questions, now let me ask mine." Twilight Sparkle said. We'd walked back towards the tree-library, after I gathered what meager possessions I had at the castle. Due to not wanting to cause a panic, I had to sneak into the library from a window, and was now seated at a table with places for seven. One for me, one for Twilight, and five more for the rest of the ponies, whose names I had yet to learn.

"Could you tell us about anything you did immediately before you were transported here, dear?" A white marsh-mellow-y unicorn, with a stylish indigo mane sitting to my right had posed the question.

"I don't think I want to talk about it, not now Unicorn." Clearly offended by being called by her race, she came back with a weak taunt.

"Please, I have a name. And besides, at least we all know what I am, impudent creature." By now the conversations between the other ponies had stopped and were all staring at us. To be honest, I didn't care. I wasn't exactly going to let myself be called a 'creature' by a horse.

"Maybe if you introduced yourself and were polite, we wouldn't have this problem." I retorted, voice level and calm.

"Polite? I've met dogs more polite then you." Her voice was rising, and I could tell she was beginning to lose her patience. I couldn't keep this up longer, I could tell the other ponies were getting impatient as well, while I didn't know them, I had nowhere else to go, and who knows what would happen if I had to go back to the castle.

"Fine. My name is Brian, I'm human. And you are, miss marsh-mellow?" She didn't take kindly to being called a marsh-mellow, and had to take some deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Rarity."

"Well Miss 'Rarity', arguing isn't going to help us in this situation, so how about we just stop and move on." I said, with somewhat of a sneer on my face.

"Humph." Rarity turned her muzzle up into the air. _What a bitch. How does anybody stand to deal with a person… pony like this? There's no way I'd be able to put up with that._

Thankfully, Twilight Sparkle came to the rescue. _'Bout damn time, that unicorn was seriously getting on my nerves. Damn, I really need to see a chiropractor. I swear, it's getting worse by the second._

"Would you two just get along? Geez… anyway-Brian, I know Rarity just asked you, but could you PLEASE tell us what happened before you got here?" she asked, somewhat irritated by my previous argument.

"I already told you, I DON'T want to talk about it. If you just went through what I did, would you want to talk about it, Miss Sparkle?"

Quickly finding a loophole in what I just said, she replied almost immediately. "Maybe I'd want to talk about it if I knew what you just went through." Realizing this was getting me nowhere, I decided to give in.

_Oh boy… _"Fine. I'll tell you. Just sit down, and I'd like silence. Don't interrupt me." I said firmly, quickly laying down the law. I saw all the ponies around the table nod, and I began the story of my departure of Earth. "Thank you. It started when I was going out with one of my few friends, Aidan, for dinner. We finished and started to walk to his apartment, when three large men stopped us, and asked for our phones and wallets…" Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but I quickly shushed her. "I didn't have a phone, or a wallet, but they started to search me. I had this," I pulled my knife out from under my jacket, "under my coat. I carry this around with me when I'm not in school. Anyways, I didn't think they were going to let Aidan and I live, so I tried to save us. When they went to search the inside pockets, I tried to use it, but they... they killed Aidan." I was having trouble keeping my voice level and tears out of my eyes. All five of the ponies gasped, the yellow one had to leave the room to calm down, and the pink one that had pounced on me made a sound like a deflating balloon. I looked up to see her mane had gone straight. Realizing that everybody was looking at me again, I reluctantly continued. "I didn't want to leave him, but I had to do what I had to do to survive, so when the man searching me swung his gun around to hit me, I cut him deeply on his arm and broke his leg-sideways. The other men began to shoot at me, and I tried to-" I was cut off by Twilight Sparkle.

"I know you said no interruptions, but what is a gun?" Her voice was choked with sadness and fear like the others, and I could've sworn she had tears in her eyes, but then, the others seemed to be as well.

"Guns are weapons that people use to shoot holes in targets, animals and people by making a small projectile move quickly through the air. When the last two are hit, they usually die. Anyways, they started to shoot at me, and they grazed me a few times. Eventually, one pinned me down, and was about to kill me with a bullet to the brain, but I got him off of me, was able to get a gun and fight back, when there was an explosion. The last thing I remember seeing was a blue sky and I could feel grass underneath me, so I'm assuming that's when I arrived here." I paused for a moment, but I couldn't stay there any longer. "I… I need a moment. Excuse me." I walked up the stairs without asking permission, and walked out onto a balcony. It was nighttime now, so the moon and the stars were out. I looked for familiar constellations, trying to calm down, but couldn't find any. _Why him? Why not me? He had a good family, a TON of friends, and a home to go to. If I was gone, I wouldn't be missed. At least the kids at school, no matter how much I don't like them, would be happier. They'd get rid of me, and they'd still have Aidan._

* * *

><p>I heard the group of them walking up the stairs, and I immediately wanted to be anywhere but here. "Brian? Brian, where are you? Please come out." Twilight Sparkle called, but I wasn't planning on answering. I turned my head to the sky, eyes fixed on the moon. "There you are! I know you're upset, but…"<p>

"No, you really can't do anything to help. He's gone, I'm here, my head feels like it's going to explode, I've probably just KILLED three other people, my back hurts like a bitch, and you think you can help? You already told me you've never seen anything like me, therefore, you've got NO idea as to get me home. My life might have been hell, but at least I knew where I was. At least then, I knew what to do. Now… Now I don't know. And maybe I'm afraid. Maybe I am."

"That's no way to think about things! You should take the problem head on and just use magic or something to go home? Why don't you just blow yourself up again?" A rainbow-maned pegasus said, but I was having none of it.

"Why don't you see I can't do that? I'm here, with you. As far as I can tell, that'd kill me again if I'm not already dead. Not to mention you completely defy science. Ponies can't talk. I probably am dead anyway, this is my hell. Stuck with you ponies." I retorted angrily, clenching my fists. _I swear… one more-No. I'm not letting that happen again._

"Would everypony PLEASE calm down? Ah really think we need to let 'm have 'is privacy. Come on, let's go home.

"Thank you." They all started to go down the stairs, and I was once again left to myself. I cast my eyes once more towards the stars, and admired the beauty of the bright night. While not the sky I was used to, there was certain artistry about it, like somebody painted the stars onto the canvas that is the firmament. I don't know how long I sat there, but eventually I heard footsteps, or rather, hoofsteps behind me. "Don't talk. Just… sit." I sneaked a peek as to who was disturbing me, and as I expected, it was Twilight. "I've always loved the night. I don't know why, but… there's something more appealing to it, even after all the things I've done under its cover."

"What have you done? If you want to talk about it…"

"You're fine. I've run away and stolen, not to mention coming here. I guess that'd be twilight though."

"You guess that'd be me?"

"No, twilight is the time between dusk and night, and night and dawn. You just happen to have that as a name."

"Oh." We sat in silence for a long time, or at least what felt like it. Suddenly, she spoke up.

"Why did you run away? Was there something wrong?" she said, looking over to where I was sitting.

"The real question is 'What wasn't wrong?' My dad died in an accident, and my mom started to drink alcohol. You know what that is?"

"Yes."

"Well, my mom started to drink. A lot. One night, when she had drunken too much, I went downstairs to get my homework. She starts asking me questions, which turns into a one sided shouting match. That was only the beginning. The arguments got more and more intense, and then she started to beat me. Every night I had to lock my door and hope she passed out drunk so she wouldn't try and break it down. If I wasn't lucky I'd be caught outside my room, and be subject to getting my ass kicked. She might be an old woman, but she wasn't weak. One day, I picked up a book that told me how to survive in the wilderness. I read that book from cover to cover, memorizing everything that I'd need to know. The day I thought I knew every bit of knowledge there, I went out with the money I had saved to buy a backpack and other necessary gear and left."

"Did you get your knife from there?" Twilight queried, staring at my belt where my knife currently hung. I didn't know if she was afraid of it or something, but she looked nervous. _Probably because I need to clean the blood off it._

"No, my grandfather gave that to me. It's been in the family, but it's really not that old. Probably seventy or eighty years old, considering my great grandfather got it from Scouts, and he gave it to my grandpa."

"Didn't your dad get it?"

"No, he didn't want it. Or, that's what Grandpa told me, after he died."

"Hm… you know how you said your back hurt?"

"Yes, still does. What of it?"

"I can help you with that… if you want me to. I can look for any injuries, but it's somewhat… painful. Strange and counter-productive in a way, but I'm sure it would help!"

I thought about it for a moment. _Pros: I learn what's wrong with my back. Cons: I'll learn that there's something wrong with my back, which may or may not be fixable. Also painful procedure... _

"I'll do it."

"Alright, this isn't going to hurt… much."

Her horn glowed with that same violet-red light, as did my body. I felt a itching inside my skull, which turned to hammering. The pain moved down my head and neck, but stopped at my shoulder blades-causing even more pain. "ANY… DAY… NOW…" I managed to say, gritting my teeth at the burning sensation. Suddenly, it stopped. I fell over, onto the floor, physically and emotionally drained. Twilight ran over to me and helped me up, before telling me what she had found.

"There's some good news and some bad news."

"Good news first." I breathed, trying to calm down after the physical trauma.

"The good news is there doesn't seem to be anything injured by the explosion or your fight." She paused, as if awaiting a reaction, then continued after I looked up into her eyes. "The bad news is… there's something growing back there, and it's pushing against your skin."

"Is it a tumor? Or a parasite?"

"I can't tell, but you're going to need to see a doctor."

"I hate doctors." I said, knowing full well what was to come.

"I'm sure you do, but you need help. Unfortunately, that means…" Twilight trailed off, leaving me to finish.

"Revealing myself to the outside world? Yeah, but couldn't you get him or her to come here?" I asked, not really wanting to go out there.

"The doctors don't make house calls, unless they have already diagnosed the patient and know they can't get to their office. Sorry Brian, looks like we've got to go."

I opened my mouth to argue, but then I realized there was no point. _Great… wait a second, where am I going to sleep? I know that Twilight let me in, but where am I going to stay? I could always sleep outside, but there's a chance of being seen…_ By now, Twilight was walking away, headed back down the stairs. "Twilight?" My voice was hoarse, I had only heard it like this when I'd been sick over the years.

"Yes?" She stopped, but didn't turn to face me.

"I… I was wondering if I could stay here for tonight." I could barely breathe, let alone talk. _What's wrong with me? I'm better at talking to my mom than I am right now! _

"Sure, there's a couch down the stairs. You can sleep there." _Thank GOD. I really REALLY don't want to have to wake up only to be discovered by other ponies… Who knows what'd happen? Although, I guess I'll find out shortly. Maybe it'd be better if I just kept to myself, like I always have._

"Actually, I think I'll be out on the balcony."

"I guess you can do that. Goodnight."

"WAIT!" I called, remembering my self-taught manners. "Thanks. For everything."

* * *

><p><strong>And another update bites the dust. This one was a bit harder to write, but also a bit longer. Anyways, read and REVIEW (Specifically pointing out anon "<strong>**The-Archer-Of-Anarchy", I'd like more reviews like that)****. Thank you, and as always, PONY ON!**

**~Lazer**


	5. Parade

** A/N: Here we are again, working to write this rather than a three page research paper. I still have a week, but hopefully I won't wait until the last minute. Anyways, here is the next chapter.**

I woke to the first rays of dawn stretching across the sky. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up, then immediately wished I hadn't. The skin of my back felt stretched out as much as an acrobat's legs doing the splits. _Maybe it is better that I see a doctor. Besides, if they found out about me without Twilight to hopefully back me up, I can only imagine what would happen. _ I sat on the balcony for a short time, then sneaked past dragon-boy's bed, took a random book off the shelf, and began to read. However, it was some overly sappy romance novel which didn't hold my interest for very long. _You'd think that being in a library would give me some peace, being quiet and generally very empty. _

"Brian? Hello? Anypony?" Twilight called worriedly. _She would think I ran away in the middle of the night, considering my track record with that. I know what I can do… this should be good… _I moved like a shadow and hid in the curve of the staircase, waiting for her to trot down the steps.

Quietly at first, then at a considerably louder volume, I said, "Here's… BRIAN!" She jumped about a foot in the air, landing on her stomach. I laughed quietly to myself, then went to help her up.

"Was that REALLY necessary?" Obviously annoyed by my antics, I stopped laughing and apologized.

"Sorry, I didn't think that'd scare you. Well, I did, but I didn't think you'd fall flat on your face."

"Great, all we need is another prankster." I was a little surprised at this, I didn't consider myself a joker, but I let it slide. Deciding to move on to more important things, I moved back to the table and sat down, then turned back to Twilight Sparkle.

"So… do you guys eat breakfast around here or what? I haven't eaten for two days." I said, my stomach rumbling to further emphasize. I was really hoping that they ate some form of human food.

"Of course we eat breakfast! But first of all, what the hay do you who-muns eat?"

"It's hugh-mans, not who-muns." I said, making sure I pronounced it clearly so as to make sure she understood. "And we eat apples, bananas, basically most fruits and vegetables. Oh, and meat." Twilight listened, then froze up after I said "meat."

"You… you eat meat? I don't know anything that eats meat other than gryphons… Well, I don't think you can have meat here. We ponies are herbivores which means…"

"You eat only plant matter, I know." I finished, but she looked back at me irritated.

"Not true. We can eat other foods, like bread, and sweets."

"Bread? Sweets? How do you ponies even make that, you don't have hands!" Waving my hands in the air sarcastically, I suddenly remembered the reddish purple glow that surrounded me when Twilight searched for bodily harm. She looked about ready to answer me when I once again interrupted. "Magic? Like that stuff that surrounded me when you did whatever the hell you did?"

"Not necessarily," she answered. "In fact, most of the baked goods are made by the Cakes and Pinkie Pie, and they don't utilize magic for that." I have to admit, this shocked me. _How would they hold the trays then? Open ovens and stuff like that? Unless they're specially made for ponies, which is probably true considering that's all I've ever seen here besides the dragon. Wait a second… Dragons? Gryphons? Unicorns and Pegasi? Did I fall into a fairy tale? Oh wait, that's right. Ponies. Because ponies. Seems like those awful girly cartoons I watched when nothing was on. Well, that was before everything…_

"Brian… Hello?" I snapped back into reality with Twilight Sparkle's hoof in my face. "Oh, there you go. Would you eat… Pancakes?" That simple word brought back memories of my dad behind a griddle, bacon sizzling… _Mmm… bacon. _

"Yeah, I could go for some ba-pancakes. Thanks. Anyways, when am I going to the doctors? I want to know my enemy." _That probably came across the wrong way._

Unfortunately, I was right. "Why would you want to hurt the doctors?" She said, VERY seriously, suddenly in my face.

"I didn't mean it like that, it was a joke, alright?" Making sure I didn't give anything away, as I was somewhat nervous on the inside. It must have shown though, because she chuckled and went back to cooking. _I'm losing touch. I really need to harden up again, these ponies are driving me to insanity. _

* * *

><p>Having eaten, I prepared to go out to the pony doctor's office. <em>Do I need an appointment? I hope not, I wouldn't want to be taking up time that could be spent saving lives. Maybe I shouldn't go. <em>

"Brian, are you ready yet?" I was putting on a new wrapping for my upper arm when Twilight called.

"Hold on, I've got to finish this!" I shouted, hoping she could hear me. I tied off the bandage then grabbed my jacket and ran down the stairs, tripping over the last step. "SON OF A" I got cut off when I faceplanted. "bitch…" I muttered as I got back to my feet.

"Are you alright?"

_I'm fine, I just slammed my face into the ground, which somehow makes my back hurt EVEN more. How does that even work anyway? "_Yeah, I'm good. Now, where to?"

"You already know that! We're going to the doctors! I just hope you don't scare anypony. Maybe you shouldn't carry that knife"

"NOBODY. TOUCHES. MY KNIFE. Got it?" I said forcefully, my anger raw and real.

"Got it. Ready?" Before I could reply, she opened the door, and I walked out behind her, hoping I wouldn't cause a stir. My fears became realized as I everything just… stopped. I felt multiple eyes on me as I continued to walk behind Twilight. I almost took a red bandanna and tied it around my face so I could hide. _Please stop staring… please stop staring… I really don't like this… Should I run? No, I need to do this. I need to do this, I need to do this, I need to do this. _I thought, trying to reassure myself that it is necessary for my survival.

"Mommy, what's that?" I heard a child's voice call from the crowd, but I kept walking. There was a slight murmur from the crowd as I hiked to the medical buildings with Twilight.

"Go back inside, Dinky,"

I felt like an animal in a zoo, stared at, always being watched. After what felt like an eternity and then some, we arrived. Treatment inside, however, was no different. The secretary gawked at me as Twilight walked up to her and said "We have an appointment." The pony behind the counter's jaw was practically on the floor as I leaned against a wall nonchalantly. _I really hope this doesn't become an all-day affair. _"Excuse me? We have, you know, an appointment?" Twilight waved a hoof in the receptionist's face.

"Oh, yes, Twilight Sparkle and… Brain. Bree-an"

"It's Bri-an." I said, taking my que to correct her. _Will they EVER get it right the first time? The things I do… maybe I should rethink my life in general._

We walked into a small room, with a table about two feet above the floor. We sat for a long time, before a pony walked in.

"H-hi, I'm Nurse Redheart… um… you must be Brian..." The pony said, the color of her fur reminding me of a lab coat, or the off white that is worn in insane asylums.

"That'd be me, where's the doc?" I replied gruffly, probably scaring the little nurse even more.

"He wasn't able to come in today, so h-here I am. W-what seems to be the p-problem?" she asked, stuttering even more. _I'm not that scary, am-oh who am I kidding I probably still look like I just came out of a battlefield. _

"We've come to believe that there is an unusual growth on Brian's back, as he reports extreme pain and as far as I can tell the skin is stretched to the point of tearing." Twilight said, tearing the words out of my mouth before I could say them.

"We might want to look at that, could you… you know… take your coat off?" It took me a moment to register what she had said exactly, and suddenly remembered an important detail. _I still have my knife on me. I'm wearing a weapon in a hospital. Great, now my first impression's going to come off as a terrorist. _I took the jacket off, uncovering the leather bound kukri that was at my side_,_ which I hoped would pass off as nothing. Thankfully, she didn't notice, or if she did, she didn't say anything. "The other top as well." I looked down, and noticed that I was wearing my troop T-shirt. _How long have I been wearing this? And how the hell did I not notice that I was wearing it? _I took it off, looked down, I noticed that I'd lost weight. _Damn, I'm thinner than a rail. I guess that's what happens when you don't eat. Note to self, eat food. _"Could you turn around please?" I did as I was told, and I heard a gasp.

"Don't keep me waiting doc, what's the deal?" I said, impatiently.

"While I don't know anything about your anatomy, I'd say this isn't supposed to be here." She replied cryptically.

"What shouldn't be there? Is it a tumor?"

"No… We're going to have to take an x-ray." _I guess that was to be expected. This is a hospital after all. _We moved down the hall, to an x-ray machine. Unluckily, there wasn't any lead coverings my size.

"I don't know what I should do, most ponies fit in the vest…"

"Got any radiation sickness pills?" I asked, half-jokingly.

"Yes but I don't think that'll suffice. Maybe we've got a bigger vest in the back." Redheart began to walk out into the hall again, but then Twilight called out to her.

"Couldn't you just use Big Macintosh's? I mean, he is the biggest pony around here."

"I don't think we have it, considering we had it only because of the leg injury and it was borrowed, but I'll see." She turned around and rifled through the lead vests again. After a moment, she lifted up a gray vest big enough to cover my torso and then some.

"Not to be mean, but that'd be way too big."

"It doesn't have to fit, it just has to be big enough that it can safely cover most of your body but your back." She said, like she knew everything about medicine. _Oh wait, she does know almost everything about medicine. You really are losing it Brian, aren't you? _

She took the x-ray, and when the results came in, things weren't looking good.

"Good news and bad news." Nurse Redheart said, with a somewhat worried look on her face.

"Good news first," Twilight and I said simultaneously. "then bad news."

"The good news is, it's not a tumor or a parasite. Bad news is, there is what seems to be bone growth here down to here, as well as considerable muscle mass building."

"So what the hell is growing back there?"

"I… I don't know. However, it doesn't seem to be too much of a problem. The back pain I can prescribe medication for, but I don't know if it will work."

I couldn't help but to shout in a traditional "Left 4 Dead" fashion, remembering the game I'd played at Aidan's.

"GRABBIN' PILLS!"

**A/N: Five chapters in, and I'm not out of material. I've been in a hole recently with some writer's block and other schoolwork. The awesome sauce will keep flowing, just keep reading, and as always, PONY ON!**

**~LazerShaman**


	6. Demon

**A/N: I'm legitimately surprised at the amount of hits I've gotten, because (excluding my failure at the Total Drama Island fanfiction) this is the first fanfiction I have put effort into. That, and it's this or a research paper that has me on my last nerve. So, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it, read and review as always.**

After the appointment, I realized I'd have to go BACK to the library, back through the crowds. _Wow, I'm so stupid. How did I not realize that? Jesus, I don't deserve to live. At least the painkillers worked. Sort of. _I had taken the pills and was filling out some paperwork, when I made the connection.

"Are you finished yet?" Twilight said, trotting over to my side.

"Almost, just give me a little longer." I had to tell my age, and all the other things like a normal patient now that the problem was taken care of, if only for now. I had, of course, lost weight as far as I could tell, as I hadn't gone to the doctor's since I was seven years old. Granted, my health was in decent shape thanks to a little thievery-I wasn't proud of that, but I knew the importance of being alive and in good health when living alone. "And… finished. Can we go back now?" I asked hopefully, not wanting to be stared at more than necessary.

"Yes, just give me a moment." She looked somewhat thoughtful as she started to walk away.

"What's up? You alright?" I asked, more out of being polite than actually caring. _I hope I'm being polite, I need to get out of here. Don't need to become friends with these pastel ponies. Well, I do for now, but I still need to get home._

"Just a little… perturbed by what the nurse said. I mean, bone and muscle mass forming JUST CAUSE? And that's okay? Something just doesn't seem right, that's all." Twilight said, as she turned to me with a suspicious look on her face.

"I'm sure I'll be fine… well, not really. On the bright side, at least the painkillers are working. Anyways, ready to go?"

"Better question would be; 'Are you?' You looked pretty shaken while we were walking." I looked up, took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and walked out the door.

"Now, or never." I said, and opened my eyes. Not a single pony in sight. _Where would they have gone? Oh yeah, probably into their panic rooms because of a certain big bad monster walking through their town. Least I don't have to feel their eyes on me. _

* * *

><p>I never saw another pony on our way back to the library but Twilight. Not one. I still believed that they all had gone inside and hid, but Twilight seemed like she was hiding something. "Would you happen to know anything about the mass disappearance of EVERY single pony in this town? Or am I just that awful looking that I scared them all into hiding?" I spoke cynically, half expecting her to ignore me.<p>

"Oh come on, it probably wasn't you. Even if it was, I'm sure they wouldn't all just go hide because you're ugly either." She replied, but before she could continue I interrupted.

"Thanks for calling me ugly, I really needed to hear that." I couldn't help but to laugh after I said this, as her face flushed and she began to apologize.

"I'm sor…"

"No need, I'm joking. Any idea as to where they would've gone? I think it's high time I stop hiding anyway. I think I should just… you know, come out with it." Under my breath, I started to mutter something I had heard on the radio. "Look alive, sunshine… one-oh nine in the sky but the pigs won't quit, you're here with me…"

"What was that?" Twilight must've heard me, but I just raised my head, and my voice so that she could hear.

"Doctor Death Defying, I'll be your surgeon, your proctor, your helicopter, pumping out the slaughter-matic sounds to keep you alive,"

"What are you..?"

"A system failure for the masses, anti-matter for the master plan! Louder than God's revolver and twice as shiny, this one's for all you crash queens and motor babies! LISTEN UP!" I could've sworn every single background noise stopped, if only for a moment when I continued. "THE FUTURE IS BULLETPROOF! THE AFTERMATH IS SECONDARY! IT'S TIME TO DO IT LOUD AND DO IT PROUD, KILLJOYS,"

Suddenly, I heard another voice. A voice that is all too familiar, one that has been with me through everything, one that I enjoyed hearing and had come to love, sounded off from somewhere behind me. "Make some noise."

I wheeled around, looking for where I had heard it. "Where are you? Come out! Or am I just hearing things?"

"No, I definitely heard that too." Twilight said, squinting her eyes as if that would help her find who had spoken. "Anypony there?" I could've sworn I heard laughing. I searched the area, to no avail. I couldn't find the person who had spoken.

"Maybe we both just need to relax a little." I wanted to keep looking, but Twilight insisted we kept walking through the currently empty town towards the tree-brary. We rounded a corner, and with the library in sight I stopped thinking of the voice and moved on to more important things, like what's for lunch. We opened the door, when suddenly…

"SURPRISE!" A pink pony was at the door (now in my face), along with the other four ponies were inside. I realized that these were the same ponies that I had sat down with the previous night. I then noticed that there were EVEN more ponies behind them. I felt uneasy, not unlike the way I feel before a big storm. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! Do you like it? I like it, I think everypony else does too. Oooh have you ever played "pin the tail on the pony?" I love that game!"

I didn't know what to say, I was surprised at the number of ponies that had somehow managed to fit in the library. "Wha-what is this?" I asked in disbelief and fear.

"It's a party silly! Your party!" I must've looked really confused, because she laughed and said, "Have you ever been to a party before?" She was about to ramble on about something else before my mind finally registered what she said.

"N-no, I can't say I have." I stuttered and stumbled over my words, still shocked. Pinkie froze. I was about to poke her again when she turned around and got in my face again.

"You've… you've NEVER been to a party? Like, never ever EVER?"

"n-never. I don't have friends, and I don't have a place to hold a party. Well, I didn't have a place to hold a party. I appreciate you bringing everybody here, but could you let me get upstairs? I-I need some time to do something." Pinkie gave me a strange look, but she let me pass.

"Okie dokie lokie, but you'll be missing the party." I moved past Pinkie, and the ponies gave me almost three feet of clearance as I walked through their ranks. Walking up the stairs, up to the balcony, I began to think. _Okay, Pinkie made my job a lot easier, and a lot harder. Let's see here, pros and cons._

_PRO: Pinkie gathered all the ponies, or at least a majority of them, and has them here._

_CON: It's a party, getting their attention should be hard._

_PRO: They will most likely listen to me out of fear._

_CON: They're listening to me out of fear. Not good if I want to get home with their help._

_PRO:I can make them fear me, or I could be nice._

_CON: I have no idea what to say._

_What to do… what to do… _I gazed up at the night sky, hoping for some guidance from the heavens. No such luck. _Screw it._ I turned back inside and looked down on all the ponies down there. The music wasn't very loud, but I'd still have to raise my voice to be heard.

"COULD I GET EVERYBODY'S ATTENTION PLEASE!" My shout was met with near silence, that is, until someone turned off the music. "Thank you! First of all, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Brian, and I'd like to thank you for coming!" _So far so good, I haven' t messed up yet. _"Secondly, you might have seen me walk through town today. I know I'm not a pony like you, but I didn't like being stared at like an animal in a zoo. I'm called a 'hyoo-man.' I'm not an it, I am a he. Thirdly, I'm not from here, but you probably guessed that. I'm from Earth." '

"WHERE'S THAT?" I heard one call from the crowd below.

"Hard to explain. In my personal opinion, Earth is really messed up-not someplace you'd want to visit. We have war, famine, disease, pollution, everything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong there. In fact, there's parents that beat their children, something I fell victim to. That is, until I ran away." I said, and was about to continue when I was interrupted again.

"IF YOU'RE NOT FROM HERE, THEN HOW DID YOU GET HERE?" The very same voice called, although this time the pony was shushed.

"I… don't know. To save you the details, I got one of my only two friends killed, I severely injured or killed three more people, and was caught in an explosion. Next thing I remember I wake up here, in this library." All the ponies gasped, and I saw a few of them leave right then and there. A lump caught in my throat, I looked to my right for a moment and noticed a blur of color in the corner of my eye. Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, and the others were all in a line. It almost seemed like they were guarding me. Maybe they were, but I had to keep talking. "This leads to my last point. While I know it sounds like I'm going to kill each and every one of you," I smiled slightly at this. "I can assure you I won't. I have no intention of harming any of you." A collective sigh of relief was passed around the party-goers. "I'm not going to hurt you." I wanted to get my point across. "Now, I believe this is a party, correct?" I turned to Pinkie Pie, who nodded enthusiastically in response. "Well, I don't see very much partying going on." Of course, she took it over from there.

"Let's PARTY!" The music came back on as I walked down the stairs and back into the crowd.

* * *

><p>The party lasted until the sun went down, when Twilight Sparkle finally kicked out everybody except for Spike and I. We, of course, had to clean up. There wasn't too much to do, but it was boring work. Soon after finishing, I went back up to the balcony. The night was shrouded with clouds, but the moon still shone brightly. Happy, for the first time in what felt like forever, I fell asleep. My dreams, however, had no intentions of happiness or well-being.<p>

_I was in a ravaged field, the smell of rancid flesh everywhere. I stood, to see I was wearing armor. Not just any armor, I was wearing beautifully crafted steel-like armor. Patterns of wings adorned the shoulders and chest piece. A gray sky was reflected in the metal, as was most of the world around me. A sword hung by my side, as did my knife. I looked around at my surroundings, only to see bodies. Bodies everywhere. However, they weren't human. They were ponies, with an occasional mixture of horrifying creatures. A screeching came from behind me. Of course, I did an about-face and drew my sword. One of the things was there, and it was coming straight for me. It seemed to be made of blackness and shadow itself. The maw of the hellspawn opened and-_

I woke up in a cold sweat. _Brain… what the hell are you thinking? _The sun was still behind the horizon. Not wanting to go back to sleep, I watched the sun rise and waited for the librarian to wake up.

"Well, you're up early." Twilight remarked when she saw me.

"Didn't sleep well-bad dream." I explained what had gone on when she asked for more detail, thinking she was probably trying some psychology thing on me. However, that wasn't the case. When I finished the tale of the nightmare, she immediately gave me a solution.

"You should see Fluttershy, she's good at helping with stuff like that." The librarian said, and as soon as we had eaten breakfast (oatmeal this time), Twilight Sparkle and I set out for Fluttershy's home.

I had that same bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Dark clouds covered the skies, the sun a light gray circle. Twilight reassured me that it'd be fine, as the pegasi control the weather. However, weather was the least of our problems. A large, nasty-looking black spike had just embedded itself in a tree, inches from my face. The nightmarish screaming came again, and I hit the ground-pulling the purple unicorn with me. I drew my knife and yelled to Twilight, "STAY DOWN!" _Oh shit… _It was a monster. A real one. A carcass in my dream made a reality. About 6 feet tall with a thick exoskeleton, it looked like a giant beetle with lots and lots of teeth. _Why me? _I didn't have time to think, because suddenly it charged. I rolled to the side, landing on my feet. The beetle turned around to face me again, and came at me. This time, I rolled under it, hoping that its underbelly would be soft enough to cut. Luckily for me, it was. The beetle let out a roar and stomped its feet, trying to hit me. I was behind it now, trying to get on top of it. Somehow I managed to get onto its abdomen and was climbing up to the head when it realized that the pesky human was on top of it. I held on to its back for dear life, but it wasn't enough. It bucked me right off. My body flipped through the air when suddenly, a razor sharp spine on the creature sliced through my upper arm. "SON OF A BITCH!" I yelled, out of pain and anger. I hit the ground hard, and looked up in time to see the beetle get its head squashed by a boulder. _Huh, looks like I got saved by a rock. Thanks Tom. Hehe, Tom the Rock. Has a nice ring to it._

"Brian! Are you alright?" Twilight ran to me seeing I was injured. I owed her one, seeing as she killed the beast.

"I… I don't think… My back…" The painkillers were doing me no good. My back felt like someone had poured liquid iron on it. The skin felt so stretched like… like it was going to rip. And it did just that.

I heard a sickening tearing noise, followed with hearing blood splatter against the ground. I felt blood run down my back and sides.

"BRIAN!" was the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness.

**A/N: So, how was that? I had a ton of fun with this chapter. So many things I could've done. I'm glad that this wasn't just one of those filler chapters, I've finally got a plot advancement. Plus, I worked until 12:35 AM to finish this (Probably not too late for some of you guys, but I had a busy day today) As per the usual, PONY ON!**

**~LazerShaman**


	7. Seraph

**A/N: I don't even know what brings me back here to write. Is it procrastination because I don't want to work on a research paper that's due on Friday? Do I like writing and advancing the story? Both. (EDIT: finished it now, but I'm still REALLY busy) Read and review as always.**

"T-Twilight, I think he's waking up."

"Brian, can you hear us? Brian?" _What just happened? Where am I? _A million different questions went through my head at once.

"Y-yeah, loud and clear." My voice sounded like I had eaten gravel. "Where am I? Did we make it to Fluttershy's house?"

"Well, after that… that thing attacked and you passed out, I had to carry you the rest of the way here. So yes, we made it." I looked down and noticed my entire chest was bandaged. Again.

"Wh-what happened to my back?" Twilight and the pony I took for Fluttershy gave each other a grimace, and then turned to me.

"The skin along your back ripped wide open. We… we think you're growing wings." _Well the skin on my back rip-Wait, what?_ It took me a moment to comprehend what they had said. I didn't think that was possible. _A human being can't grow wings! Even if one did, they wouldn't be big enough to fly. Would they?_

"C-can I see them?" I had to ask. I wanted to know what they looked like if they were really there. A large mirror was brought to me, and I stood up. Sure enough, there was a pair of wings. There was what looked like white fluff on them, and I could feel a breeze through the cottage on them. "Wow," was the only thing I could manage. _I wonder if I can fly. Actually, I really shouldn't try that. REALLY shouldn't. I don't need to fall off a cliff or something. _Noticing that the two mares were whispering behind me, I turned to them and asked a question that I'd been waiting to ask for a while. "Why is it that you seem so uneasy around me? I'm not going to hurt you. I don't want to. I don't need to. So why would I attack you?" Twilight hid her face, but Fluttershy looked confused.

"What do you mean? I don't see why they'd be afraid of you, other than the fact that they didn't know who you were until yesterday."

"I know, but there seems to be something else." I turned to Twilight. "What, am I destined to destroy the world or something? Because I'm pretty sure that thing we saw would be better suited to do that. This is your world, not mine."

"N-not…" I couldn't hear the rest.

"I'm sorry?"

"N-not destroy it…" Her voice dropped off again.

"One more time, speak up."

"Not destroy. Save." I burst out laughing. _There is no way in hell they're telling the truth. Unless those goddamn demon-beetle things come back, there's no way I can be a hero. I don't want to be a hero. I'm not MEANT to be a hero. I'm just a thirteen year old kid who dropped off the face of the earth and landed in a land full of ponies. And now demons. _

"You're kidding right? I'm no hero, never have been. Never will be, really. What's next, you're going to tell me this has been foretold in some ancient scroll or something?" I kept laughing, but then I looked at Twilight. Her face was stony and serious. My laughter stopped as quickly as it began. "You're not kidding. Please tell me you're kidding."

"I'm not kidding." She said her voice grave. "When I found you, I brought you back to the library. Of course, I fixed you up to the best of my abilities and made sure you were stable, and then I looked in the library to see if there was any record of a being like you before. There wasn't anything for your species, but I did find an old poem book that mentioned a 'fallen angel'. I didn't make the connection right then and there, but now I see. The poem told of something never before seen, with wings of a Pegasus and the will of an earth pony. It also told of the return of the 'elders'."

"Well… shit." I had a lot of trouble to wrap my mind about what was said. _Fallen angel. So I am dead. Or am I? I'm pretty sure the dead can't feel. As far as I know. So… all that cliché bullshit that I read in fantasy books is coming true? With me as the protagonist? Wow, the author of this story really needs to rethink things. _

"Twilight… that demon? Was that an 'elder' thing?" I asked. _How did it get out of my dreams? Maybe I should learn more about these beasts first. _ I wanted to know my enemy, know what to do and how to fight them. If I didn't get myself killed first, that is.

"I-I don't know. I've never heard of them before. I'm going to write to Princess Celestia as soon as possible about this, to see if she knows anything." I almost argued with her-I didn't want to be watched by one of the rulers of this country personally. I also wondered as to how she knew a leader of Equestria, when I remembered hearing her talking before I fell asleep.

_"Spike, take a letter. 'Dear Princess Celestia, I know that it's late and you need your rest, but the being that I found was brought back to the library. His name is 'Brian', or so he says, and he is 'human'. I'm sorry for wasting your time, but I thought you'd want an update. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."_

_ Faithful student… well that explains living in a library. And now that letter. Who would have thought?_

"When can we go back? If I am this 'angel', which, in my opinion, is complete bullshit, I might want to get something that can… you know, protect me? Like, armor? Or SOMETHING? I don't plan on getting my stomach split by these things." I asked, hoping that the answer would be soon.

"I was planning on leaving once you were ready to." She turned to Fluttershy. "Shy, get all of your animal friends and keep them close, we don't want anything to happen to them." The cream colored Pegasus nodded, and Twilight looked back over at me. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." I retorted, having put my jacket back on, albeit somewhat uncomfortable with wings, it still fit. We walked out of the cottage, ready for another showdown.

* * *

><p>We didn't have to worry about it. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, other than the corpse of the squashed bug. When Twilight and I got back to the library, I wanted to look at the book where she had found the poem.<p>

"Come on, let me see it! You already told me that you think it's me; why not let me see it?" I asked, trying to reason with her.

"No means no Brian, and besides, it's just some silly prophecy anyway." Obviously unsure of herself, but still steadfast on not letting me read it, I backed down. However, I remembered the armor I wore in my dream. _Should I ask? Or should I let it go? Eh what the heck, it's not like getting armor plating could be a bad thing._

"Hey Twilight? Do you know anywhere that I could get body armor?" Twilight gave me a strange look-half out of curiosity and half out of irritation, as she was writing her letter to Celestia. "You know, like the kind I described from my dream? Maybe with holes for my wings?" I was hopeful, as I wanted to have some protection from the monstrosities that plagued my dreams and, more recently, real life.

"I don't know anypony that makes that, but I bet Rarity could do it. She's good with clothes; maybe she could make armor just as well."

"Awesome. Can we go now? I think we should get it as soon as possible-considering the fact we need to be prepared for another attack."

"Fine. For the record, if you get turned down because of your previous actions, I may or may not help you." Pleased with her answer, I held the door to the library open for her.

The walk there was a lot more comfortable than the hellish walk through the crowds to the doctor's. It was almost like I belonged there, ponies went on with their business, and Twilight and I went on with ours. We were about ten feet away when a scream was heard from inside Rarity's house/shop/boutique thing and a unicorn filly was shoved out the front door. I would've laughed had the small unicorn not been angry looking. The filly ran out the door, wearing a small cape. My eyes followed her down the road, and when I looked back two more were right behind her. I shrugged it off and walked inside, only to see absolute mayhem. There was cloth everywhere, papers on the floor, ribbons idly strewn about, and multiple mannequins where toppled over. Rarity was standing in the middle of it, using her magic to put everything back into place.

"Is this a bad time?" I asked, standing in the doorway. The white coated unicorn turned, obviously stressed out.

"Oh, hello Brian." She said, then gasped. "Darling, how's your back? I heard you were hurt." I shrugged, and she decided to drop it. "Please come in, Sweetie Belle was just here with her friends, making a mess as usual." I walked inside, and started to help pick up the miscellaneous debris on the floor. However, Rarity didn't let me. "Let me get that, you don't have to help me." She said, almost like a broken record-over and over, because I never stopped helping. When the job was done, she turned back to me. "Now that that's all cleaned up, what can I do for you?"

"I don't know if you're the right person to go to for this… but…" She looked hopeful at what I had said. "Could you make me," Her eyes widened. "… A suit of armor?" Rarity's jaw dropped to the floor. Literally. I didn't think she could have possibly opened her mouth wider. I couldn't contain my laughter, but I sobered up quickly when she kept staring.

"I-I don't know what to say," She said, somewhat contradicting herself. "I've never had anypony who needs something as brutish as armor!" I must've looked discouraged, because Twilight wrapped her… arm? No… one of her limbs around my shoulders, getting up on two legs. However, when I looked back up, Rarity was right there, a look of determination in her eyes. "I'll do it. If you can show me how it is designed, I can do it." It took everything in my willpower to keep me from jumping for joy-I was really happy, more than I have ever been. _Why am I so happy? Maybe it's the fact that she's just agreed to make something that is literally from my dreams, and not only that, something that may save my life. _I thanked her about a million times, and then we got to work. I sketched out some of the designs, as I had to show her how (I thought) the armor fit together. It took hours, but the final design was almost finished (I had to convince her to leave the back part of the cuirass alone for wing growth, if any)-and it looked exactly like it did in the dream.

"Rarity, I'm assuming you're a perfectionist when I say this, but… nothing you have ever done before has been this perfect, and I haven't even seen any of your work. This… is beautiful, from a male's perspective. And that's saying something, considering the only things I have ever considered beautiful before are nature, and women. Not so much the latter in some cases." I said truthfully, speaking my mind in front of the designs.

"It's nothing so far, dear; the armor itself still has to be made. I know just the metal to use, and I'm sure it will turn out perfectly." I looked up at her, raising an eyebrow at the last statement.

"What metal? Something durable and lightweight, I hope I really don't want to be stuck wearing something that weighs almost twice as much as me. Getting killed, perhaps for a second time, makes for a very bad day."

"I believe it is called titanium, with a mixture of magic allowing for resilience and near-feather weight property." The unicorn with a coat of white replied.

_Where do they get all this scientific information? I have yet to see a car-oh my goodness I'm a dumbass. _"That's great! In fact, that's better than great! That's awesome! I can't thank you enough for this." A thought popped into my head, causing me to facepalm and groan.

"Brian? What's wrong?"

"Nothing… I just don't have any money to pay you with. How long do I have to work for you? Is there some way I can pay this off? Or am I going to jail?" I saw the naïve librarian begin to glance nervously at Rarity, the door, and then back to me. Needless to say, her reaction surprised me.

"Of course not! This might be the first time that I've had to do something like this, but you're a friend of Twilight's, no?" Twilight and I shared a glance that seemed to say, "Just go with it."

"Yes, but there's got to be something I can do, even if it doesn't involve physical money… any odd jobs to do? I mean, the materials are probably expensive and hard to get."

"There's no need for that-I can handle the price. Although, there is one thing." I had zoned out a little, and when Rarity suddenly appeared next to me I jumped a little.

"And that would be..?" The other unicorn appeared to my left, taking the words before I could say them.

"Well, I could use some assistance digging up gemstones for a client." _Digging up gemstones? Seems simple. Wait a second… _

"Digging up gemstones?" I questioned, an eyebrow raised. "Back on Earth, one does not simply 'dig up' gemstones. Sounds almost like a death sentence to me."

"Oh, no, not at all. You see, I can find gems using magic, and all you have to do, is dig them up out of the dirt." _Assuming these gemstones are in dirt…_

"… I'll do it. Just tell me when, considering the only other thing I could be doing is… is…" I failed to voice my thoughts, and Twilight once again came to my rescue. _Can she read my mind? Probably not. Note to self; don't think of ANYTHING that might be inappropriate in the presence of unicorns._

"Learning how to fly?" She said, confusing Rarity.

"What could mean by that? He doesn't have… oh. Oh my." I had taken off my jacket, holding it at my side. The downy feathers were still there, if a little rumpled. I realized I could move the wings a little bit, and tried to flap them to no avail. After Rarity's initial surprise, she started asking questions, almost faster than I could answer them-if I could answer them at all. Most of them involved how I got them, when I got them, if I could fly or not (she must've failed to remember Twilight's previous statement), and something about waffles? I couldn't make out what she said there, but I just shrugged. Eventually, Rarity calmed down to the point of comprehensibility. "We'll have to leave the back of the chest piece for later, you know-have to adjust for growth." I considered this while Rarity lifted up a quill and left a note with her magic. _Magic… wait, that's it!_

"Couldn't you do some magic mumbo-jumbo so it would grow around it? Also, for the wings, wouldn't we have to armor those as well? Considering the enemy I'm up against."

"We're up against," Twilight corrected. Rarity was, once again, confused.

"What ever could you mean by that dear?"

Twilight and I summarized the events of the battle, me explaining more of the graphic parts, and the pony librarian telling what happened after my back split. I had to restrain myself from laughing at Rarity's increasingly disturbed facial impression as the tale unfolded, and once we were done I had to go into the other room for a moment so I could calm myself. When I came back, Rarity pointed me out the door.

"Twilight already left, you might as well. Perhaps you should talk to Rainbow Dash; she could help you with your wings."

"I'll see what I can do. Where can I find her?" Rarity chuckled and looked down for a moment, before taking a pose that resembled a warrior in a movie I once saw at Aidan's apartment.

"Ha! Brian, one does not simply FIND Rainbow Dash!" She said, snickering all the while. "You might want to check the fields south of Ponyville, that's where she likes to practice." I laughed as well, remembering that night with Aidan. A bittersweet memory from only a year ago resurfacing didn't surprise me as much as it might have others. I had gone to his apartment for the second time after we had become friends, if you could call it friendship. He did most of the talking; I just listened, and laughed along. That night, he showed me what it was like to 'hang out.' I never really had fun until I visited his apartment. We played video games, which it seemed I had natural talent for, as I beat him out multiple times consecutively, watched movies, hell, I felt like a normal kid!

"Thanks Rarity-and remember, I owe you one." I walked out the door before she could protest.

* * *

><p>I searched the fields for a long time before I finally gave up the search, figuring if she's not here now then she'll be here later. Walking to a nearby tree, I began to climb, hoping for a vantage point from which to survey the land around me. Reaching the near top, I looked through the thin veil of leaves and scanned the land and skies, searching for Rainbow. I assumed that Rainbow was the cyan pegasus with spectrum of colors for a mane, one that I hadn't had too much exposure to, so I was a little nervous. Sometime later, a noise similar to that of a car slamming on the brakes and crashing into the rear end of another was heard, and I immediately went to investigate. Surely enough, the rainbow-maned pony was there, lying next to a boulder. Strangely enough, the boulder looked like the one Twilight dropped on the Elder. <em>I wonder… no, no time for that.<em>

"A-are you alright? That sounded like a pretty bad crash." I moved to her side, but there was surprisingly little injury.

"I'm fine, thanks. Hey, aren't you that ha-yew-mah-n thing?" She said, slowly and incorrectly pronouncing my species.

"Again, it's hyoo-man. Okay? Human. And I have a name, you know, Brian? Remember? The guy who sort of almost died?" I think if I had a mirror, my facial expression would have been deadpan, or at the least very cynical.

"Brian, got it. Nice to meet'cha Brian, I'm Rainbow Dash, the greatest flyer in all of Equestria." I chuckled for a moment, then spoke again.

"That's why I'm here, I need something."

"What? You need to see the Dash in action? I can do that!" She jumped into the air and started flying, moving at astonishing speeds. She slalomed threw a row of evergreen trees, flew so fast around clouds that they began to twirl almost as fast as her, and then veered into a dive. I could only look on, impressed, until I noticed something strange. It seemed that there was a disturbance in the light and air in the wake of Rainbow, getting more and more visible every second. A burst of light and a loud noise came suddenly, and a HUGE shockwave of every color imaginable shot through the sky. I looked back where Dash had dived, only to see a longer lasting more visible rainbow trailing through the sky. Soon enough, she came back.

"While that was undeniably awesome, that's not what I'm here for." Rainbow, looking somewhat exhausted before, now looked exasperated.

"Well what is it?" She snapped, wiping her forehead with the back of her hoof.

"I was hoping to ask if you could teach me…" I took my jacket off and hung it on a tree branch as my wings spread out. I looked over my shoulder for a moment, and noticed that they had grown at an exponential rate and were much larger now, although the downy feathers were still there. Turning back to the pony, I finished my sentence. "… how to use these." I got what I was expecting, an open mouthed reaction, although she recovered much faster.

"Omigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh! You, want me, Rainbow Dash, to teach you how to fly? OF COURSE!" Rainbow was beaming, a wide smile splitting her muzzle. I couldn't help but smile as well, but I was still pretty nervous. _What if I can't fly? I'd have wasted her time. Maybe I shouldn't ask. _Then the logical side of my brain kicked in. _I need to learn this, I don't need a pair of broken, useless wings. What I do need, is to learn. Learn how to fly. Maybe… maybe there's some human instinct that we have or something that already knows how to fly. Ha, wishful thinking. _

"You still with me? Hello, anypony home?" A cyan hoof was being waved in my face, as I must have spaced out while thinking.

"Yeah, sorry about that. First things first, how the hell do I fully open these things? I kind of have to know how to move them." She looked somewhat surprised.

"You don't know how to move them already? Ugh…" She facepalmed. _Or would it be facehoofed? I'll think about it later. _"Just… think about trying to move them. Think of what it'd be like to fly or something like that." She looked away for a moment, and then shook her head. "Can you do it?"

"Haven't tried that yet. Didn't exactly give me much time to think, you know." I tried so hard to move them, but I failed. "I don't think I can… any other ideas?"

She looked at me strangely, then said I was trying too hard. "You need to relax. Chill out a little, think of the wind in your mane… err, hair. Try to imagine yourself soaring among the clouds, anything that reminds you of flying. That's often what gets the little pegasi off the ground, once they're ready." I tried again, this time, relaxing as much as I could. Granted, that wasn't very much, taking into consideration all the problems I have. However, I could've sworn I felt them move, if only a little. My eyes opened to disappointed-looking Rainbow.

"Did it work? Did they move?" She shook her head slowly.

"Hate to tell you, Bri, but-"

"Don't call me that." I cut her off. _This is why I hate nicknames. People, or in this case, ponies, give me REALLY stupid names._

"Alright, _Bri," _She said, emphasis on that dumb name, then continued normally. "They're probably not ready yet. Usually, and I'm assuming that your wings are like pegasi wings, wings are for the most part immobile until they are fully grown. Although I've heard if the 'fight or flight' thing is triggered, which is rare, they can be used sooner. Granted, yours probably aren't large enough to carry you right now, if ever. Besides, what would scare you enough to trigger that?"

"Don't say it." I warned, knowing full well what could happen if she said the line that screws everything up. Of course, she paid me no heed.

"I mean, it's not like Discord is going to pop out of nowhere or something."

"Please stop talking."

"Why should I? I mean, what could possibly-"

"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" I screamed, but it was too late.

" … go wrong?" I hit the deck, figuring that something was going to explode, or maybe a freak storm would hit. I waited for a moment, before Rainbow spoke up.

"Are you alright?" I stood up for a moment, and scanned the horizon.

"Nothing happened. Huh, I could've sworn…" A ear-shattering shriek split the calm, and a huge black spike breezed by my face and stuck in the ground.

"Jinxed it." I said, trying to put a brave face on for Rainbow. She looked right back at me, equally scared, equally unwilling to show it.

"Well… buck."

**A/N: Sorry it took so long, but this is the longest chapter yet-and I'm hoping I have time to make them even longer in the future. I know what I'm doing is clichéd, but if you don't like it? Don't read it. As always, love and tolerate, and PONY ON!**


	8. Predator

** A/N: Here we are again, beginning yet another chapter in the saga that I thought I would totally mess up. I may or may not have already done that, but… yeah. Finally on spring break… but even introverted me gets lonely sometimes. I'm in torment of my own making, though. Read and review.**

_BOOM! _An explosion of dirt knocked Rainbow and I onto our backs. I leapt up, then went to help her up. We turned around trying to find the source, only to see a HUGE raven-like beast with blood-red eyes. The predator flapped its wings, not only stirring up dust but sending four razor sharp spines towards us. I rolled to the left, while Rainbow took to the skies. I reached to my side to draw my knife from the sheath. My hand, however, met only air. _What the hell? _I looked down and noticed my knife was gone. Sheath and all, there was nothing for me to work with.

"RAINBOW! MY KNIFE ISN'T HERE!"

"WHAT?" She screamed, both scared and angry. The raven shrieked again, making me wish I was deaf. Another extremely deadly spear shot by my head, sticking in the tree behind me. "I THOUGHT YOU CARRIED THAT EVERYWHERE! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

"I DO CARRY IT EVERYWHERE! AND I THINK OUR CAPS-LOCK IS BROKEN!" I yelled over my shoulder, able to quote a joke from Aidan, even in the face of imminent death. I did an about-face and pulled the spike out of it, then did what any sensible person would do. I ran straight at it, using its own weapon against it. I held the shaft low, noticing how light it was, but pointed the tip straight up, in hopes of gutting it. Luck, however, wasn't on my side. I got within stabbing distance… and was grabbed in its claws as it took to the air. "AH SON OF A BITCH! GET THIS THING OFF ME!" I shouted, but my words were swept away in the wind as the sinister creature lifted me into the sky. Suddenly, a multi-colored blur sped past me and I was in free fall. Before I fell, I could only think one thing.

_ Shit._

My eyes were able to stay open for the first few seconds, but I closed them. I didn't want to see the ground, considering I was about to become a human pancake. _So many things that I'll never get to do. Never get to have any romantic affiliation, never go to high school, never have an official job, never get to use these damn wings… wait a second, WINGS!_

I opened my eyes, much closer to the ground now, and tried to open my wings, even if only to ensure there'd be enough left of me to bury. I tried to gauge the distance as I fell, doing my best to expand the wings while I did so. _500 feet… 300 feet… 100… 75…_

"POMF!" A noise similar to an umbrella opening was heard, and I was jerked backwards. My head exploded in pain as my descent slowed considerably. The emergency landing was rough, and I did a face plant into the dirt upon touchdown. Scrambling to my feet, I saw Rainbow flying straight at me.

"NOW WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT TIME TO RUN!" I heard, as she soared past me, upsetting my balance. The raven was right behind her, and would be on top of me in seconds if I didn't move soon. Rather than run, however, I made myself flat against the ground, or as flat as I could make myself since my wings were sticking out and were now stuck open. Luckily, it soared right over me. Jumping to my feet, I began to sprint in the opposite direction of the beast, in hopes of luring it away from both Rainbow Dash and Ponyville. Moving fairly quickly, I soon reached the edge of the forest. I looked over my shoulder, and sure enough, there Rainbow was! Granted, the Elder was still there, and still very dangerous. Rainbow did have a good lead on it, as she came closer to me, but the awful bird was still very fast. She stopped for a very short moment. "Into the forest?" She asked, out of breath but looking very determined. I nodded, then responded.

"Into the forest." We moved as one, her in the air, dodging tree trunks and branches, me on the ground, hopping over logs and swinging on the occasional low hanging branch to jump gaps. Anyone in a three mile radius probably heard the loud crashes of trees, but I couldn't. I could feel the vibration of the earth, the beating of my heart, and nothing else. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and the only thing that was on my mind was survival. At that moment, nothing else mattered.

"Brian! Into the cave!" I was snapped to attention when Rainbow called out to me, beckoning towards a small opening. She flew into the opening, and then made sure I was following. _Not like I have much of a choice. Be disemboweled by a giant, demonic raven or die of starvation or thirst in a cave… yeah I choose the latter. _No sooner than my entrance into the cave did a certain creature crash into the cliff face (or at least, I think it was a cave. I didn't exactly stop to smell the roses.) The shock of the impact threw me off balance and I hit the ground. I scrambled to my knees and crawled to a back corner of the cave. Again and again the bird would throw itself against the rock, as if it would force us out. This continued for what seemed like an eternity.

"It's… stopped. Do you think it's still out there?" I asked Rainbow, who had come over to where I was sitting.

"I don't know. I do know that I'd like to go home. Too dark in here." She was right, but we were lucky. A few cracks in the ceiling let some light shine through, but barely enough to see.

"Stay here, I'm gonna go check." I stood up, my joints creaking after being stuck for so long. I snuck to the mouth of the cave, my feet making no sound on the rocky floor. I poked my head out for a moment and looked around. There wasn't a trace, but I didn't like the looks of it. "I think it's still out there. It probably stopped just as a trap. I've seen it with other birds before. If the rabbit escapes into its burrow, the bird of prey will wait it out. That's what it's doing now. Waiting us out, hoping we'll come out. Hate to say it Rainbow, but we're stuck."

"Well this sucks. We're stuck in a bucking hole!" she paused, then chuckled. "Heh, stuck in a hole." I turned to her, surprised by her sudden innuendo. "What?"

"In a world full of unicorns and fairy tales, a sexual innuendo was the last thing I expected to hear. Especially out of a pony."

"I'm not your average mare, Brian. I don't really conform to the standards set by society. Besides, I've always been a tom-colt anyway." I looked at her again, and was suddenly aware of a burning pain on my arms. Surely enough, they were cut all over the place, sliced open by the thorns of plants during the run.

"Hey Rainbow?"

"Yeah?"

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to have to do some first aid."

"What?"

"… while this has probably been done in some romance novel or movie, I assure you I am not trying to seduce you and/or look sexy." I took the shreds of my shirt off, taking extra care to get it around my wings. I made a point of removing the troop seal from the shirt as it was one of my only reminders of home. I took the remains and made a makeshift bandage, wrapping the torn and bloodied skin in forest green. When I was done, I moved to the opening in the cave and hoped that someone would come.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting."

"Oh. Okay then. What can I do?"

"Whatever the hell you want, as long as it doesn't bother me or get us killed."

* * *

><p>I sat in silence. The blue sky had turned an ominous grey, and the smell of ozone was in the air. The rain came slowly at first, then came down at a steady pace.<p>

"… could save my lonely soul for you, but the feeling in my heart can't follow through…" A beautiful melody filled my ears, combined with the rain it was a little depressing. "… you can give your broken heart to me because you know that I'll stay with you…" I scanned the horizon outside the cave, to see if I could find where the voice was coming from. Finding no one, I finally put two and two together to make fish. _Wow, and I thought that I was smart. _"That's why they call me loyalty…"

"You have a wonderful singing voice, Rainbow." I said, still looking out the entrance to the cave. "Anyone ever tell you that?"

"My father, actually." She said, her embarrassment blatant in her words.

"He taught you that song?"

"He wrote it for me. Said it was my theme song." She sounded proud now; any humility in her voice was gone.

"… Your father sounds like a very talented pony."

"He was. His special talent was singing." Catching the 'was', I let it drop. _Her father is gone too? Damn. Fate is a bitch, isn't she? _Rainbow appeared beside me. "What's your special talent?" Needless to say, I was a bit taken aback by this question.

"My special talent?" she nodded. I thought about it for a moment before I responded. "I don't think I have a special talent."

"Don't have a special talent!" I quickly shushed her. One annoyed glare later, she continued. "Everypony has a special talent!"

"Yeah, everypony. I'm not a pony, if you didn't notice."

"So… you don't have a cutie mark?"

"A what-ty mark?"

"A cutie mark!"

"And this 'cutie mark' thing relates to this… how?"

"It's the mark all young ponies get when they find out their special talent. Mine," she motioned to her flank, to which I looked away. "is a lightning bolt. Go ahead, look."

"No thanks, I don't need to look at your hindquarters. But how does a lightning bolt refer to your special talent? What's your special talent?"

"I'm a weather pony. Probably points to my speed too."

"So… you predict the weather?"

"Predict it? I _make _the weather. I control it!" This, of course, prompted the logical side of my brain to speak up.

"Okay… so let me get this straight. You," I motioned towards her. "control the weather. You can just say 'I want it to rain today,' and make it rain."

"It's nothing like that. There's got to be clouds in the sky, and even then I have to gather a bunch of clouds together to make a raincloud."

"So… you somehow collect water vapor and turn it into a rain cloud?"

"Pretty much. Just gather it in my hooves and compress, and BAM! You've got a raincloud. Can make snowstorms and thunderstorms too." I think it goes without saying that my head was going to explode.

"You know what? Forget it. Forget that whole conversation. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go lie down." She opened her mouth for a moment, like she wanted to say something, but I was already at the back wall of the cave, attempting to close my wings enough to lie down on my side. I soon fell into a restless sleep, cold, hungry, and a bit homesick. _I wonder how Cordelia's doing. Hope she's alright-who am I kidding, she can take care of herself. Seems like forever since I saw her, even if it's only been a few days. Then again, she was one of the only people I talked to, or rather, one of the only ones I ever considered a friend. It feels like yesterday that I met her. _

* * *

><p><em>I was cutting wood with a hatchet, splitting small logs for the fire. The nighttime forest was quiet, silent except for the occasional birdcall, or snap of the fire. Suddenly, I heard something crashing through the brush, and I jumped to my feet while wielding my hatchet. The rustling got closer, and a person burst out. While the source was found, the noise didn't stop. I could still hear things coming closer, trampling through bushes and other plant life. <em>

_ "Wh-who are-" The person, voice obviously feminine, spoke up, but I silenced her with a hand motion._

_ "WHERE'D YOU GO! COME OUT YOU LITTLE WHORE!" A gunshot pierced the night, making me turn towards the girl. Long, dark brown hair, shining grey eyes-she was beautiful. But I didn't have time for that._

_ "Get in the lean-to and be silent. Not a whisper, not a word." She nodded, and did as she was told. A large man in a muscle shirt armed with a small, ugly handgun pushed through the brush. His face was lit up by the firelight, and the look of drunken rage was apparent on his face._

_ "Where is she? HUH? WHERE'S THAT MISERABLE DISGRACE I ONCE CALLED MY DAUGHTER?" He yelled, brandishing the firearm in my direction._

Ho-ly… shit. _I thought, not liking the thought of the Headless Brian._ _"With all due respect sir, I'd appreciate it if you pointed the gun away from me."_

_ "I'm the one making orders here-and I ask again, WHERE IS SHE!" He moved even closer to me, pressing the barrel against my head._

_ "I refuse to answer that until you get that gun out of my face." He lowered the weapon, but it was still aimed at my heart._

_ "Now, where is she?"_

_ "If you're referring to the girl with brunette hair," He nodded, obviously irked by my stalling. "She isn't here. She stopped and stole some of my fire, probably planned to use it as a torch. Went that way," I gestured with my hand, away from the lean-to. "You could probably still catch her." I crossed my fingers behind my back, praying he wouldn't see through my lie._

_ "Thank you." He started to walk away, then turned back to me. Suddenly, his hand was around my throat and I was lifted into the air. "Go home kid, this never happened." I fell from his grasp, looking up to see him running in the general direction that I pointed to. I waited until I could hear him no more, then walked to the shelter. _

_ "You alright?" I asked, offering my hand to the petrified girl in front of me._

_ "Just a little shaken, thanks." Taking my hand, I helped her up._

_ "I'm assuming that awful man was your father. Frankly, I'm surprised he left so quickly. What'd you do to piss him off?"_

_ "I told him I was… uh…" She wouldn't look me in the eye, her body language suggested shame._

_ "It's alright if you don't want to talk about it." I said, planting my hatchet in the wood-chopping block. Suddenly, she looked up, determination showing in her eyes._

_ "No, I want to talk about it. I… I told him I wasn't going to be 'daddy's puppet' anymore. I basically said I was done taking his shit." I was a bit taken aback by this, but recovered quickly._

_ "Your dad didn't like that, I take it."_

_ "Not one bit. He gave me fifteen minutes to pack my stuff, and then he kicked me out. Well, about an hour later he's after me in his pickup with his gun, drunk as all hell. I ran here… and you know the rest." A glint of curiosity sparked through her eyes. "Hey, you're that kid from school, right? Wolf Boy?" I vaguely recognized the girl now: she lived near the old house, and was in some of my classes._

_ "So that's what they're calling me now? I've heard worse. Since you know who I am, what's your name stranger?" _

_ "Name's Cordelia. Cordelia Robertson."_

_ "Brian Knightly-Markins. I like 'Knightly' better though. Was my father's name. Nice to meet you, Cordelia."_

_ "The pleasure is mine, believe me."_

An immense feeling of homesickness came over me. _I never got to say goodbye to her. I wonder if I can-no that's out of the question right now. I'm still stuck in a cave; home is no concern of mine. Not until I can get Rainbow out of here. Then I can deal with personal problems._

Darkness fell quickly in the cave, and soon the only light was from the entrance. Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep, so I took it upon myself to keep watch. _Not like there's much to watch for other than outside help or an Elder showing up, and I don't want the latter. I wonder if Twilight knows we're gone? I wonder if anyone knows we're gone? If they don't know now, they will tomorrow. But what if the raven..? No, don't think about that. _I poked my head out of the cave for a moment, only to have a spike whizz by my head. _I was right! _I thought, a little confidence poking through the haze of dismay, only to be swallowed up by my next thought. _Dammit, I was right. Better trapped in this cave then dead though._

I sat there for hours, lost in thought. If I wasn't trapped in the cave, I probably would've been happy. I stared out to the horizon until the first rays of dawn showed in the sky. A few times I tested to see if the beast was still out there by throwing a rock outside, which it was. _Anytime now, someone will come. They have to._

* * *

><p><em>FIVE. DAYS. FIVE GODDAMN DAYS AND NOT ONE SIGN OF HELP. <em>Rainbow was still hoping someone would find us, but I realized that it's been too long. Five days is a long time to search for two people, and the authorities probably would've given up by now. That's what they did for me, when my mom realized I was gone. It took only a couple days until the search was called off. I was beating my head against the wall at this moment, literally.

"Please… Twilight, Applejack… even Pinkie or Fluttershy… you wouldn't leave us…" _I think Rainbow finally snapped. _I stopped hitting my head against the wall to look at her. She didn't seem to have broken. She looked like she was praying. _Hm. Didn't think she was religious. _

"Would've thought we'd hear something by now, Rainbow. I don't think they're going to find us." I said, looking at my feet.

"I don't give a flying feather about what you think! What are we gonna do, Brian? Huh? Got any plans?"

"No, I don't. No safe ones that can get us both out of here. I've been trying to think of one for FIVE DAYS. Your complaining hasn't helped."

"What do you mean, 'no safe ones'? As far as I'm concerned, staying in here isn't safe!"

"True. How much longer can you go without food, Rainbow? I can go for about two more days."

"I don't know, and I don't care. We're getting out of here today, or not at all."

"… alright." I paused for a moment, and our eyes connected. Suddenly, her ears perked up.

"Do you hear that? Sounds like… wings flapping." I listened, and sure enough I could hear a wing beat.

"You think it's flying away?" I asked, unsure of myself for the first time in a while.

"… Hold on…" she said, intent on listening.

" GET AWAY FROM ME YOU DWEEB!" I heard a voice scream, getting progressively louder. I looked out the entrance, only to be crashed into by a mass of white and brown.

"What the-"

"Gilda? Is that you?"

"Ugh… my head." Part of the weight was lifted off of me, enough for me to look at it. From what I could see, it was an eagle. That could talk. _Why am I not surprised? Anything else want to try and shock me? Because I swear I've seen it all now. _"Dash? Great, first I get chased by a demonic bird and now I'm in here with you! Ugh, I should've taken my chances with that thing!" Having some trouble breathing, I managed to speak up.

"C-can you get off of me? I c-can't b-breathe." Taking notice of me for the first time, 'Gilda' looked down at me. "And what the heck is this thing?" Gilda said, stepping off of me. I breathed deeply, trying to get back to normal. I looked at the eagle again, only to see it wasn't just an eagle. Remembering the creature from what I'd learned at the castle, I saw that this 'Gilda' was a gryphon. Half lion, and half eagle, she could easily tear me apart. Or he, but I was pretty sure by judging the voice.

"You two know each other? I pointed a finger at Rainbow and Gilda.

"Unfortunately," they answered at the same time. These two didn't seem to get along, and you didn't need to be an expert at observing people to see that.

"Well Ms. Gilda, it appears you are stuck here with us now."

"Don't call me "miss". And no, I'm not stuck with you, I'm in a cave with a dweeb and a… a…" Pointing at me, she was at a loss for words, so I interrupted.

"A human, Gilda. And as much as you don't want to believe it, you're trapped in here with us. You saw that bird; it could easily kill any of us. But, with your arrival, I think I have a plan…"

"Well it's about time."

"Yeah, I haven't got all day." This comment from the gryphon made my blood boil. _Who does she think she is? _

"ALL DAY? DAY? WE'VE BEEN STUCK IN HERE FOR FIVE DAYS! AND YOU'RE COMPLAINING? WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY FOOD FOR FIVE DAYS, AND OUR ONLY WATER HAS BEEN FROM THE FREAKING CEILING! YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT BAD NOW?" Gilda was quick to react to my outburst, getting right up in my face.

"YOU THINK THAT'S BAD? TRY BEING KICKED OUT OF YOUR HOUSE, GETTING RIDICULED, LOSING YOUR BEST AND ONLY FRIEND, THEN HAVING TO LIVE OUT IN SOME CELESTIA-DAMNED FOREST!" _Oh it. Is. ON._ I was about to scream back, but then I realized that shouting isn't going to help. I quieted down a bit, as being calm would piss her off more, then retaliated.

"Okay, leaving your home most likely forever, CHECK!" I mimed holding a clipboard, and made a hand gesture like I was holding a pen. "Getting ridiculed, CHECK! Living in a forest, CHECK! Losing your best friend…" I took a breath; my vision was now red with fury. "BITCH PLEASE! I WATCHED HIM DIE! I WATCHED HIM BE MURDERED! BECAUSE OF ME! YOUR LIFE PROBLEMS _PALE _IN COMPARISON TO WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH!" I clenched my fists, about to hit the shocked gryphon. _No Brian, you don't want to do that. Stop and tell yourself you don't want to do that. _The voice in the back of my head spoke up, and I wanted to shoot it. However, I didn't hit Gilda. I couldn't. Something was holding me back, and I just couldn't do it. I let out my breath, and slumped against the back wall.

"… I…" Gilda sputtered, about to say something.

"Save it. I don't need your sympathy. Since you obviously don't think I'm worth listening to, I'm obviously not worth your pity."

"I'm listening." Rainbow spoke up, having watched the whole event.

"… Not now, Rainbow." The gryphon said, as she walked to the other side of the cave.

_This isn't the way I expected to die… starvation? No. I always thought I'd die because of some animal, or flat out bad luck. Maybe even in my sleep, peacefully. But I never thought I'd die because of no food. _I looked through the "door" of the rocky room to see the moon.

_If this is the end… _I thought. _May God have mercy on my soul. _I shook my head. _No. Stop thinking like that. It is not the end, it is not the end, it is not the end! _I stood up to my full height. Gilda and Rainbow were surprised by this, but I stopped them before they could say anything.

"You want to get out of here?" They nodded. "Then shut up and listen." They backed up a bit, and I started. "Okay. Rainbow, when we were on the run from the raven, do you remember how we kept changing its focus?" I didn't wait long enough for her to answer. "We're gonna do that again, but this time, we've got three." I looked over at the gryphon. "What we're going to be doing is this: All of us are going to run out, and split apart. We'll still be in shouting range. If I'm correct, this'll confuse it long enough for us to get a lead on it. From there, you two are going to be flying, as you are faster than my running that way. Once we're out of the Everfree, I'm going to be distracting it on the ground."

"Not bad, geek. Not bad."

"I'm not done. Rainbow, when I can distract the raven I want you to get the police or whatever the authority is in Ponyville. Make sure that they're equipped to fight a demon, if at all possible. Gilda, you'll be helping me keep it occupied."

"Oh I see, make the gryphon do all the work." There was an emotion in her voice that I almost couldn't make out, a mix between anger and sadness. I assumed she was referring to her racial diversity from the ponies, so I responded in a calm tone.

"Gilda, we're all different species here, so don't you pull the race card. I'm asking you to do that because Rainbow and I haven't eaten in almost a week, you of all of us will have the most stamina."

"Humph, fine. But only because you put it like that." Another almost unintelligible emotion were in these words, it was tough to make it out over her gruff voice. _Was that a hint of flattery? Maybe she's not as tough as she tries to look. _

"Okay, everyone knows what we're doing then?"

"Got it." Said Rainbow, and a chirp from Gilda confirmed it for her as well.

"Let's go, then." We readied-up at the mouth of the cave, when I heard Gilda speak up.

"Dash? If we don't make it, I want to say I'm sorry. For everything."

"Apology accepted, now let's get the buck out of here." I looked over and saw the two… hugging? _Is there..? Probably not. Let's just hope that if there is something good or bad between them it doesn't affect their decision making right now._ I looked down at my feet for a moment, knowing that I could be dead within the hour. I think this was going through the other's thoughts as well, so I made a decision there and then that they need to live more than I do. Fighting to say the right words, I began to speak again.

"Right now, what matters is if we make it. And we need to do that. For your friends, for your families, and for yourselves. It doesn't matter how. Nothing else is more important than our survival. We get out, we get help, and then we kick its ass. It's been a pleasure knowing both of you, even if haven't known you for long."

"Likewise."

"Back at you, Brian."

"On three. One… Two…" I counted, on my fingers and with my voice.

"THREE!" We all shouted at the top of our lungs, and we all flew (or in my case, ran) like bats out of hell. I had one final thought before I ran, lyrics from a song. "_I will not die in the night, but in the light of the sun with the ashes of this world in my lungs." _

A screech and a loud flapping of wings signaled the raven's surprise take off, but I'd already gained some ground on it. Gilda and Rainbow were doing a good job of distracting it, but I didn't have time to look back. _Jump grab jump swing roll jump climb climb climb jump run run run run run_ was my thought process, adrenaline overpowering anything else entering my mind. I kept running away from the cave, and as long as I could hear Gilda and Rainbow overhead I knew I was going the right way. _Run run run run jump run run jump _I raised my arms to shield my body as I pushed out of the Everfree forest and back onto the field. _Made it! _I turned to look back at the other two, to see Gilda and Rainbow streaking towards me, Elder in tow.

"HEY UGLY! DOWN HERE!" While I didn't think it would hear me, it did. And I almost paid for it. The raven cried out and landed in front of me, launching a trio of razor sharp spines. They were way too close, one went past my head and another stuck in the ground in between my legs. "GO RAINBOW!" I pulled the spine out of the ground, once again wielding it like a lance.

"YO LAME-O! FRESH GRYPHON RIGHT HERE!" Gilda called out at it, and the beast showed me its back. I looked down at the 'spear' in my hands and thought about my options… and there was only one. _This is either one of my best ideas, or the worst one. _I let out a war cry that was less demoralizing and more humorous, then charged at the creature. I climbed up its back as it tried to shake me off, then, standing on a wing I jumped down the front of it, trailing the spike down its stomach. It let out a scream of rage and took to the skies, flying circles around Gilda and I.

"HERE IT COMES!" I screamed, as it did a dive bomb right at me. I didn't know what I could do, knowing it could just adjust its flight path to hit me. However something clicked, but at the last second. As soon as it was really close, I rolled _under _it rather than running away from it. It hit the ground with a loud thud, but the beast recovered within moments, flapping its wings and squawking. Where it had crash-landed a blood puddle sat, hissing and popping like acid. It snapped at Gilda again, then came at me. _Spartan tactics? Risky… then again so was this plan. _I turned my back, but kept an eye on it… it chirped, and it almost looked confused. _Wait for it… _It snapped at me, just as I turned and thrust with its own weapon. The makeshift spear stuck in its eye, and it screamed again, in pain.

"BRIAN! GILDA! GET OVER HERE!" I turned and saw Rainbow accompanied by Rarity, Twilight, and a couple of other ponies in golden armor. _It's about damn time. _The armored ponies were a mix of the three species of ponies, pegasi, unicorn, and normal. Some of the unicorns set up a defensive barrier as the pegasi moved in armed with… farming equipment?_ How do they have that armor and not have a decent weapon? Are blacksmiths extinct here? _The plain ponies (I later learned they were called "Earth ponies") were also using pitchforks, shovels, and pickaxes.

"How big is that thing?" Twilight asked, getting behind a barrier as the raven launched more spikes at us.

"I'm alright, thanks for asking." I said, being a smart-ass as usual.

"Won't matter once it's dead, nerd." Gilda said, surprising Twilight.

"G-G-Gilda? What are you doing here?"

"I got stuck with him and Dash in a cave, not that you would know. He's smarter than you give him credit for, and a helluva lot cooler than you." This surprised me, but this was both an insult and a compliment, even if only the latter was directed towards me.

"Leave her alone, Gilda. She's helped me more than you'd believe. Besides, we're still technically in a danger zone right now. Save it for later." The gryphon glared at me, but realizing I was right she looked back over at Twilight.

"Sorry," she said, then looked back at me. "What now?"

"I want to see this thing go down, you can go."

"Not leaving without you Brian." Gilda said, and I noticed this was the first time she used my name. "This thing destroyed my home, I wanna see it DIE." _Something isn't right with her. Perhaps losing her friends and her home took a larger toll on her than it did on me. Might want to talk to her about it._

"As much as they want me to go, I'm staying too." Rainbow Dash said as she shook off a few ponies tried to drag her back to Ponyville. I noticed that she gave Gilda a sideways glare. _She apologized! What did she do that pissed her off so much? Just another thing to talk about, I suppose. Or rather, something to avoid talking about._

Another group of spikes hit the barrier, and I saw one of the unicorns falter.

"I think they need some help." I said, moving towards Rarity, looking to the magical shield. "Do you have my knife?"

"Yes but you shouldn't..." Her voice cracked as she held it up, enveloping it in light blue magic. "Darling I don't-" Rarity began as I took my knife back, only for Twilight to cut her off.

"Are you CRAZY? That thing trapped you in a cave for almost a week, you were just fighting for your life against it for Celestia's sake! We don't need for you to die!" Instead of stopping, I kept going.

"Has it killed me yet?"

"Well, no, but it…"

"Then I can still fight it. Stay here." I walked out of the safety of the shield to be greeted by another volley of spikes and a shrill scream. Some of the earth ponies were in holes carved into the ground by the raven, and as I walked by them I heard them gasp.

"Is he insane?"

"I wouldn't call that insane. I'd call that being really brave, or really stupid." I saw a dark green pony, not wearing armor, but wearing a cowboy hat. He saluted as I went by. I noticed his mark-thingy was a map and a pair of binoculars. An unfamiliar emotion bubbled up from the pit of my stomach. _ A salute? Interesting. But it's not me that'll be dead. _ Suddenly, the raven reeled forward, and I almost thought it was going to try and bite at me. However, it was hit in the back of the head by… Gilda?

"If you're gonna try and kill this thing, you might want some help!" the beak of the raven was touching the ground, and it shook itself for a moment.

"I don't know about you, but I think I've got this!" I climbed up the raven for the second time and slashed at its wings, trying to ground it permanently. From there, I moved on to the head, slicing at its eyes. _I think the animal rights activists would throw a fit over this… why do I care? Not on Earth anymore, dumbass. Although, I know Fluttershy isn't going to be happy with me… I'm screwed._

"THIS ONE'S FOR KEEPING ME IN THAT GODDAMN CAVE!" I shouted, planting the knife in between its beady red eyes. The beast screamed, and thrashed its head around. I lost my grip on its feathers and my knife, getting launched into the air once again. I hit the ground, landing on my side. I unfortunately rolled, crushing my wings a bit. _Goddamn it that hurts. _When I started to get up I saw the raven kick up so much dust I eventually lost sight of it.

"What the heck is that thing doing?" However, the thrashing stopped, but the dust hadn't settled yet. "Think it's another trap, Brian?" Gilda inquired, calmer than one would think. _Her psyche is… complex. Anger problems apparent. Seems as if she doesn't become demoralized so easily. Unfazed by most things. Interesting._

"I… don't know. Wait until the dust clears." Some of the pony soldiers, along with Twilight and Rarity, came to where we were standing. Most stood silent, others talked quietly for a few seconds. I heard the wind blowing through the trees, and knew that this would be over soon. The breeze came, blowing away the dust to see…

"It's…"

"Uh…"

"Dead. Or playing dead. One or the other. Give me a moment." I picked up a large rock, hefted it in my hand, then threw it. It hit the statuesque bird-of-prey, but didn't even bounce off. The cadaver didn't move, and I mentally tagged it as dead. I began to walk toward it, but I was stopped by Twilight.

"What do you think you're doing? You need help! Or at the very least, food!"

"Me? I'm getting my blade back."

**Wow, that took a lot longer than expected… 13 pages on Microsoft Word and 6,775 words later, I finished it. Anyway, I've been doing some drawings of Brian (Would that still be a self-portrait?), I'll post some of the good ones soon. Read and review, you know the drill. And it wouldn't be an update without… PONY ON!**

**-LazerShaman**


	9. Royal

**A/N: You know, I was going to write an author's note. But then I thought, "What am I going to write? This is pathetic, only nine chapters in and I'm already out of author's note material." This is really… really sad. Might want to read and review to make up for my lack of author's note-ing. Sorry this took so long. I usually work on this over weekends, but for the last three weeks I haven't been home.**

"Can we get an autopsy on this thing? Find out how it ticks." I said as I stepped off of the head of the corpse. I was speaking to one of the unicorns, who gave me a look that said, 'who the hell are you to give me orders. "I know, I know, not your commanding officer. Just… take my word for it, okay? Could be useful." I moved on, after he rolled his eyes. _Fine, be that way. No need to fight, especially not after that. _

"Brian, where are you going? You should be going back to Ponyville!" called Twilight, as I walked down the dusty road.

"I am."

"You're going the wrong way!" Once this reached my ears I stopped and did an about-face.

"I knew that. Just testing you."

"Sure you were. Come on, you NEED to eat something."

"HEY! I'm starving over here too!" shouted Rainbow, her… uh… arms crossed over her chest. _Damn you over-analyzing brain, using human anatomy to describe a different species. At least I can say that for Gilda. Speaking of Gilda, where'd she go? _Rainbow, Twilight, and Rarity were all talking as we walked back towards town.

"Hey guys, where'd Gilda go?"

"Up here, stupid." I looked up to see Gilda moving from cloud to cloud as the sun tinted each one a shade of orange, yellow, or pink. _I wonder if I can do that. Probably best to wait. But if I wait, when will I have an opportunity? Nevermind. Unlikely I will be able to fly. Even if wings are growing at exponential rate, probability of them being able to carry me is slim. Twilight could do some math thing to figure it out, I bet. _I was left mostly to my thoughts on the way back, with the three ponies talking and Gilda flying all over the place. My mind turned to memories of home, giving me an unfamiliar feeling in the very pit of my stomach. _Humph. Would've thought I'd be happy to leave. But then, do I really miss Earth? Or do I miss Aidan and Cordelia? _A wind blew over the field, chilling me to the bone. _Damn it got cold out here. Where's my jacket? _I strained to remember where I had placed it. _OH SHIT IT'S STILL ON THAT TREE!_

"Hey guys?"

"Yeah?"

"Did any of you pick up my coat? You know, the olive drab one?" _Of course it's the olive drab one, dumbass. It's the only one you brought._

"No." said Gilda and Rainbow, simultaneously. They turned and glared at each other for a moment, then looked back at me.

"Can't say I did, sorry dear." Replied Rarity, lowering my hopes.

"It's back at the library, got it while we were looking for you." She stopped, averting her eyes from mine. "I uh... found a picture…" _Dad. _My eyes shot open.

"What did you do with that picture? Where is it?" I moved closer to her, but couldn't help to notice Gilda stop darting from cloud to cloud to watch this.

"It's back at the library, in the same pocket as before. I put it back. Was that your… your father?"

"It was. Reminds me of the good times, when I WASN'T a freaking refugee." I looked away, trying to think of something to get their minds off of this topic. "Uh… Last one to the Library is a rotten egg?" No sooner than I had said the words, Gilda and Rainbow Dash took off. Twilight and Rarity shared a look. Realizing I was far behind now, I shouted up to Dash and Gilda, trying to get their attention. "HEY! WAIT UP!" I was sprinting now, wings folded behind me. My feet kicked up dust as my long legs took even longer strides, and I thought to myself, _Nothing like a good run._

When I finally reached the library, Twilight and Rarity were already there, as well as Rainbow. _Not a Gilda to be found. Probably inside. _

"Magic is cheating; even I can't beat instant travel!"

"Rainbow, you knew I could do that. You didn't exactly tell me I couldn't." Twilight and Rainbow were nose-to-nose, glaring into each other's eyes. Rarity was spectating, not sure what side to take.

"Uh… Girls? Hello?" Rarity turned to me, exasperated.

"Thank Celestia you're here! Rainbow keeps fighting with Twilight! And only because she teleported us here, rather than stay out all night walking home!" I rolled my eyes and moved closer to the two.

"Can we please stop fighting? We've got enough problems; don't need you to going at each other's throats. Besides, I lost. Not you." O_ur time away from here definitely stressed Twilight out or something. Rainbow is probably so touchy because she's exhausted. _"So…" I said, trying to change the topic, even though they still hadn't backed off. "Can we get something to eat? I'm legitimately starving." Twilight snapped out of it, and remembered we hadn't eaten in days.

"OH! Yes, sorry. Let's go inside, it's getting cold out here anyway. What do you want?" The group went inside, Rarity asking for some tea, but Dash and I didn't care.

"Anything sounds good right about now. Hunger is the best flavor, you know." I sat down at her table after I grabbed my jacket and checked to see the picture of Dad was in the right place.

"I'm with him, just gimme something!"

"That is NOT how you treat your hostess Rainbow, especially Twilight." Scolded Rarity.

"Lighten up, Rarity. You know me, did you really expect your stupid 'manners'?" I looked on with some curiosity, observing how the two personalities clashed.

"I expected some gratitude at the very least."

"Psh, I didn't need that much help. All Twilight did was get the guards together, and they didn't do anything." This comment set Rarity off, causing her to stand up in anger. _Lot of angst going around right now. Note to self; don't be confrontational to Twilight or her friends, no need to get thrown out. Especially with risk of the Elder-monster-whatever-the-hell-they're-actually-called-things. _Before Rarity could do anything however, Twilight walked in with Rarity's tea, and pancakes. _Again? _I thought, recalling my other breakfast with the lavender unicorn. _Hm, that all she knows how to make? Then again, I don't eat what they do. Made them because she knew I'd like them. Still starving. _

"Thank you Twilight."

"Thanks Twi."

I merely nodded my thanks, then ate my food in silence. Twilight soon took a seat next to Rarity, and started a small discussion. She seemed oblivious to the glares that Rarity was giving Rainbow, as did Rainbow herself. She was eating, talking with her mouth full often. _Cut her some slack. We have been in a cave for a good five days, not exactly the time to practice table manners. _Even I, the boy living away from society, knew how to act as a guest. Then again, I remembered them from before I left. _Seems like forever. Even just to see Earth would be amazing, but I have work here. That, and going back might cause… panic. So even if I could go back, I'd be abducted by the government, I wouldn't be able to see Cordelia, and not to mention Aidan is dead. _With the realization that I will never see Cordelia or Aidan if he somehow survived, again, I immediately felt a lump in my throat.

"I'll uh… be right back." I managed to keep my composure long enough to get to the bathroom upstairs. I looked in the mirror, and saw some major differences. Obviously, the wings were one of them. I had lost weight as well, but I had expected to see that. My hair had gotten longer, and was beginning to curl around my ears in the back. There were also some more scratches and cuts scattered around my arms and legs. A small wound near my temple had bled down the side of my face; the dried blood was still caked there. After my self-analysis, I just stood there. I looked in the mirror. That's it. I didn't cry, but I didn't smile. I just stood there, unsure about my emotions, myself, the two people who cared enough to call me their friend, my family, and my future. _What am I going to do? I'm not safe here. Aidan's gone. Cordelia isn't safe with her father, and I don't think she'll be able to stay at my camp. _An idea suddenly popped into my head. I opened the door with some difficulty, only to learn that Twilight had her ear to the door.

"Hehehe…" She laughed nervously. "You're going to yell at me now, aren't you?" I was, of course, annoyed that she was trying to listen in, even if I didn't make a noise. However, I did need to talk to her.

"No. I'm not." The librarian let out a sigh of relief. "But I do need your help."

"What do you need? I don't see what I can-" I cut her off with my own voice.

"Would it be possible for me to see Earth? Like, even for a few moments? I have some… unfinished business there." _That's one way to put it. _She thought for a minute, then responded.

"I don't know. I'd have to look for a spell that could allow that, and even then…"

"I know it's a longshot, and you've done a lot for me already. You don't have to do it; I'm just a bit worried." I immediately regretted the last part.

"Worried about what?"

"Er… nevermind." She gave me a suspicious look. "Where'd Rainbow and Rarity go?" I asked, trying to change the topic.

"They left right after you came up here."

"And Gilda?" I asked, remembering her absence. Twilight looked away, and shuffled her feet. _She's nervous._ "What happened to Gilda?" She still wouldn't answer. "Look at me." She still wouldn't look at me. "Fine. But I'm sleeping on the balcony again. And this time? Don't check on me. I don't need it." All my previous politeness gone, I was angry that she was hiding Gilda. _Not telling her about Gilda is one thing, this is something else. Isn't it? _I mulled this over while I laid on the wooden platform. _I'll find her later. And by later, I mean now. _It had been some time since the librarian had left me alone; she and the dragon were fast asleep. I swung over the railing, then lowered myself onto another branch. Limb by limb, I climbed down the tree. I did fall, but I turned the would-be painful landing into a roll. _Perfectly silent. Good to see I wasn't getting out of practice. _I went back to the field, where the raven was slain. The body, thank God, wasn't there anymore, but the bloodstains were. _Well, duh, you killed it a few hours ago. _I stood there for a moment, before continuing my search. _If I were a gryphon… where would I go? _I walked up and down the road leading out of Ponyville multiple times before I saw claw prints and paw prints over my footsteps and the mares' hoofsteps. _She walked? Would've thought she'd fly away. Wherever she went, that is. _The tracks disappeared in the grass, but it was still apparent on where she went. It had been pushed down where she had trod. _It's starting to take its shape back… this is at least an hour old. _I followed the crushed grass, hearing a sob on occasion. _Did I do something? _

I found her. She was crying in the grass, lying face-down on the ground. _Didn't think gryphons could cry. _I got angry at myself for this. _NO. BAD LOGIC. EMOTION. NOT. LOGIC. _

"Gilda? Are you alright?" _She's not alright, dumbass. _I mentally facepalmed. She jumped to her feet.

"What are you doing here?" She sniffled. _How is that even possible? They don't have nos- STOP IT BRAIN! _"How'd you find me?"

"I noticed you weren't at the library. Was worried." _Can't you be sensitive JUST this once? Or at least sympathetic?_

"G-Great, now you see I'm just a b-big hatchling. Gonna make fun of me too? S-Stab me in the back? Or 'f-forgive' me, then leave me again?" She burst into tears again. _What do I do? Damn the fact I don't have much experience with this._

"No. I'm not. I'm…" I had minor difficulty saying this. "… I'm your friend, right? Friends don't do that."

"That's what t-they all s-say." I didn't know what to say, Cordelia never really got like this. So instead of speaking, I walked closer, and did something completely out of character.

I gave her a hug.

It had, although awkward for me (mostly due to the fact I didn't have a shirt on and was not used to 'hugging' as it were), helped Gilda some. Standing to her full height, she was just as tall as I was. She cried and cried into my shoulder.

"It's okay… you're okay…" I reassured her as she sobbed. _When did I get this nice? _My mind relapsed to its questioning. _GET OUT OF HERE CYNICISM, YOU'RE NOT WANTED RIGHT NOW!_ Eventually, she stopped crying, and pulled away.

"T-thanks…"

"Just doing my job." _Should I ask her? It does help people when they talk about it._ "Do you want to talk about it?" She opened her beak for a moment, as if to say something, but then nodded.

"I-it started when I c-came to Ponyville to visit R-Rainbow Dash." _Definitely trying not to cry again. GODDAMNIT BRAIN! _"Long story short… I y-yelled at all Dash's friends and got run out of town. Dash didn't w-want to be with me anymore. S-she didn't want anything to do with me. I w-was s-so alone. And then… then I got kicked out of the house. My parents were disappointed with me too, once I told them what happened. And you know what? I did the same bucking thing. I yelled at them, too!" _She stopped crying, at least. _She stomped her foot. "I lived in the Everfree for so long… I was so alone without Dash. She was my only friend, and she betrayed me. My family, who I thought loved me, kicked me out. The bird found me… and that's when I got stuck with you." It took me a few moments to digest all the new information that I heard from the gryphon.

"… That doesn't answer why you're here." I said quietly. Another sad look.

"When Dash and I got to the tree…" The left side of my brain immediately screamed to correct her, but I didn't. _It's a library, not just any old tree! _"… The two unicorns were there, and they harassed me for my previous actions. I don't know why they didn't do it sooner, but… they just attacked me, and…"

"And what? I mean, if you want to."

"Dash sided with them. I thought she forgave me, but NO! She just has to side with them AGAIN! I'm SICK of all the bucking betrayal!" Rage was apparent in her body language and eyes. _Need to calm her down._

"I… don't know what to say." I was about to continue before Gilda got in my face.

"NO ONE EVER KNOWS WHAT TO SAY!"

"But I do know what we're doing next." She cooled off slightly, not shouting, but cynical.

"And what might that be, O wise one?"

"You apologize to them. They apologize to you. Done."

"It's not that simple."

"I know it's not. But I need you." I surprised myself with my words. Gilda's look of anger dissipated, replaced with curiosity.

"How so?"

"You saw that thing back there. The raven. Who knows how many more of those are there? I need your help to take those down. The fate of this world depends on it." _What am I doing? _I thought, but what was said was said.

"You were doing fine by yourself." I almost laughed. _Wasn't doing that great._

"No, I wasn't. Besides, you've got a ferocity no one else here has. Not to mention coming pre-equipped. I mean, look at your claws! Razor sharp. We need to work together." She blushed at my compliments. _How does she blush through her feathers? AUGH! GO AWAY LOGIC! _ I leaned in closer. "And frankly, all those ponies are the same. Too… nice. It isn't a bad thing, really, but with the current situation, it can be troublesome." I straightened up again. "We're both outsiders here, but I'm not the enemy. The ponies aren't either. Those creatures are." I scratched the back of my head, trying to figure out what I had just said in the last five minutes. Looking back at Gilda, I offered my hand. "What do you say?" _Yeah, I probably screwed up. She's just staring at it… dammit. _

"You've got a way with words. I'm in." She shook my hand, sealing the deal.

"Welcome to the team." I said, half-jokingly. "C'mon, let's go back. Some ponies need to apologize." The stars shone brighter, if only for a second._ I did the right thing. _I knew, however, this was the first of many tasks on the road ahead. _Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, right? … This is so cliché, I think I might throw up._

I burst into the library, waking up Twilight (I could still hear Spike snoring). Gilda followed close behind.

"Brian? What are you- I thought you were sleeping on the"

"You have some SERIOUS explaining to do." Twilight took notice of Gilda, who was still behind me. Her eyes widened in shock. "I want to hear what happened. All of it. Now."

"I-I…" She started to tear up, then broke down. "I KICKED HER OUT, OKAY! I YELLED AT HER, EVEN THOUGH SHE TRIED TO APOLOGIZE!" She quieted down a bit. "I kept shouting at her, telling her she was an awful person." _Didn't realize I had this kind of effect on people. Or ponies, for that matter. _

"You should know that everyone deserves a second chance. Continue." I crossed my arms over my chest. The unicorn turned to face Gilda, now standing to my left. However, she still couldn't make eye contact with the gryphon.

"I'm sorry Gilda. I thought you were going to hurt Rainbow again. And I couldn't stand to see her get hurt again. When you left the party she was really depressed, and she wouldn't come out of her house for days. Even after she came out she was distant. Then you came back. I didn't want you to hurt her again… so I hurt you." Gilda's eyes softened for a few seconds. I swear that at that moment, I could hear a crowd chanting "hug" over and over again.

"I'm not buying it." One glare later, she changed her mind. "Oh alright, apology accepted." I gave her another glare. "And I'm sorry for my earlier behavior. You ponies aren't that bad."

"I'm very disappointed in your behavior, Twilight Sparkle." Another voice, very calm but scolding called out from above.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight did the pony equivalent of bowing, Gilda snorted, and I just stood there, turning to the source of the voice. A large white winged unicorn, wearing a crown and necklace stood on the second floor of the library, looking down. _Holy crap, she's big. How did I not hear her? _She jumped down, spreading her wings to land, and then turned to me.

"I've learned a few things over my years, believe me." _Yeah, she can read minds. Hello, Princess Celestia._ Surprisingly, I got a response almost immediately. It was like a little whisper inside my head.

_Hello, Brian, son of Knightly._

"Have you been listening this whole time?" The lavender librarian inquired, interrupting the mental "conversation" and shifting her eyes nervously.

"No, but I think I've heard enough. Refusing someone who needs your help, Twilight… I thought you knew better than this."

"P-Princess I can exp-"

"However, that is not what I am here for." She turned to me again, and spoke aloud. "Brian, you have seen the monsters that have been plaguing the land."

"Duh, we all have." _Come on Gilda, a little respect isn't too hard._ The princess was unfazed, and took no notice of the gryphon's interruption. I tried to keep from glaring at her. _She's alright, but she needs to know when to hold her tongue._

"I have."

"You obviously know that they are dangerous, then." _No, I thought they were cuddly and only wanted hugs. Not to impale me with a spike, or squish me under its carapace. Oh crap, Celestia heard that, didn't she. _In response, she nodded almost imperceptibly. _Please stop._

"Considering the things almost killed Rainbow Dash and I both five days ago and earlier today, not to mention Twilight and I about a week before that, yes, I'd say they're dangerous. Dangerous, but not invincible." The white mare winced.

"That's right, you… disposed of them."

"Did what I had to do to protect myself and others." I retorted, justifying my actions.

"Very well. You fought the infected?" _Infected?_

"What do you mean by 'infected'?" I said, not really understanding. Celestia grimaced.

"Infected as in being controlled by the Elders."

"You mean to tell me that those things weren't even the real deal?" The princess could only shake her head in response, but she did speak to me telepathically._ You know about the Elders, and have fought their minions. For the sake of my people._ I tried to block her out of my head, so as to be able to think freely.

_Good thing I've got Gilda._

"I need your help. But you can't do it alone; not even the Elements of Harmony can do it. You need to work together. Even with just you and the Elements, you will not be able to defeat them. You need to build a team, something you have already begun." She gestured towards Gilda, who looked appalled that she knew. Twilight looked surprised at this statement as well, but I tried to keep my face serious. _Damn the fact she can read my mind._ "I know you want to go home. I also know that you wish to see Aidan and Cordelia again."

"Aidan died." I said bitterly. "Would you PLEASE stop sifting through my thoughts and memories!"

"I'll have you know that Aidan is alive. He's here in Equestria, if you wish to see him. There were also three others of your kind, but were hostile and are currently detained." My heart skipped about three beats.

"H-he's alive?" I was choked up, I felt like I couldn't breathe. _Oh God… he's alive. _I surprised myself when I threw my arms around Celestia's neck. "Thank you thank you thank you Oh God thank you!" The monarch remained unaffected.

"I'm sending him here as soon as possible, he is still recovering from injuries that are similar to yours, but you are healed. From your old ones, at least. The bullet wound is remaining a problem to him right now, but he is recovering." _He's alive. I didn't kill him. He's alive. I didn't kill him. _I had thought this over and over again, a large weight lifted from my shoulders.

"I… do not know how to use words to thank you adequately."

"Then don't use words." Princess Celestia responded, confusing me. "You are in Equestria for a reason. You're here to-" I pieced things together.

"Stop the Elders, fulfill a prophecy, I know. But I can't do it alone, which is why you want me to work with the Elements of Harmony. Who are the Elements of Harmony, anyways?" The princess merely smiled at me.

_I find it surprising that you already knew about the prophecy._

_ With all due respect, Princess, get out of my head!_

_ As you wish._

"Applejack, the element of honesty, Fluttershy, the element of kindness, Pinkie Pie, the element of laughter, Rarity, the element of generosity, Rainbow Dash, the element of loyalty, and Twilight here, is the element of magic." I mentally went through the list again. _Wow, I've already met all of them._

"I already know most of them. What makes you think they'll help?" I asked, knowing that not everyone is able to fight. _Hell, I'm not able to fight._

"I'll help you." Twilight took to my right side.

"I'm here." Gilda spoke from my left, but I already knew I had her help.

"You already have two friends who will assist you. Aidan will aid you once he is recovered. This is your call to action, heed my word and do your duty." With this, the alabaster monarch opened the door, and disappeared into the gray morning. I felt a little dizzy with lack of sleep.

"You alright Brian?" Gilda shook me a little; I must have been swaying slightly.

"Just… tired." I leaned in closer, whispering. "You staying here?"

"If you are." She whispered just as quietly. I turned back to Twilight.

"Twilight, can Gilda and I stay here?" She gave me an uncertain look, as if to say, "_You want her to stay here? Here?"_

"It's… the least I can do."

"Thanks… I owe you about a million now." She laughed tiredly, then went up the stairs. Gilda crashed on one of the couches, and I laid down on my side, and had a few thoughts before I passed out.

_She's trusting me to save an entire world that isn't even mine from evil beings known as Elders that can possess other creatures… Because a winged thirteen year old can definitely do that._

**Hey! Hey you! Yeah you! There's a button somewhere below this that says "Review"! You should click on it and tell me all about the story! If that's okay with you… I mean, if you want to… *Fluttershy squeak* Oh! Don't forget to PONY ON!**

**-LazerShaman**


	10. Rook

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. I had an… upgrade in the computer department but forgot to transfer this chapter, and couldn't pull it back up and save it to a flash drive until recently. Anyways, life goes on, I'm busy, you're busy, and we can't get into Equestria. (I'm working on it, guys. And if I do, hope that this story isn't real. Or Cupcakes. Or Rainbow Factory. Or Wheller's massive tale spanning multiple fanfictions.) The usual.**

**Exception being that I drew Brian on the computer, have a link. (I apologize if quality is bad, I had a hard time because it was my first attempt at drawing using my computer, not to mention I used a mouse.)**

**browse. deviantart ?qh=§ion=&q= LazerShaman #/d509c9s**

**(Get rid of the spaces, add the little www and preceding URL thingies. [won't let me type it... why do links suck so much here?] If that doesn't work, just search LazerShaman on deviantArt, should be the only one.)**

**SuperDarthVader1 (Anon): I actually had (and I still do, don't know why everyone was bitching about the ending. Seemed alright to me, even if it was a bit vague. Though, now, the extended cut thingy is out, but I haven't done it yet.) Mass Effect on the brain, thinking of how Shepard had to build his team to defeat Saren, the Collectors, and the Reapers. (Well, he was trying to stop the Reapers the whole time, not just in ME3) As for Trixie… I've thought about it.**

**Flamesinger599: Write more? You want me to write more? *crosses arms over chest* I refuse.**

**Opal Rider: I do my best—to me, they didn't really see things from Gilda's point of view. (This might be me overanalyzing things, but whatever) I think that Gilda saw Pinkie as someone who wanted to steal Rainbow Dash from her, and as far as I can tell they were close. Gilda's way of coping with this was to get Pinkie out of the way, even if it took being… well, the way she was. However, I do think the stealing from Granny Smith was uncalled for. About Aidan; He's pretty much going to be… himself. Optimistic, random... you get the idea.**

**ShiningShadow1965: It's hard to accept that a person has changed, especially if they have hurt someone you care about. That's sort of what Twilight went through, and Rarity is liable to do the same. Off topic, but I read the last part of your review in Discord's voice. XD**

**Bearie: Yes, yes it did.**

**On with the story, then.**

I awoke to sun in my eyes. _Some 93 million miles away, and it still has perfect accuracy. Wait, not on Earth anymore. Right. Almost forgot about that. _I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"Sleep well?" Gilda was already awake, and was reading an ancient-looking book. I was surprised, but didn't say anything. _She's definitely not the type that picks up a book and reads very often._

"No, but thanks for asking." I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.

"About yesterday…" Gilda stood up and fully faced me. Her eyes were still puffy from last night.

"In the field?"

"Not a word. You hear me? Not a peep."

"Wasn't going to say anything about it anyways." This was true. _She's obviously proud of her 'tough' façade, and isn't willing to let that go. She's a nice person, but she doesn't act like herself. Just wish she'd be the real Gilda instead of the mean one. _"I was just thinking about what Celestia said last night. You know, the whole building a team thing?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know anyone around here. I'm supposed to recruit the six Elements of Harmony, and you're with me already. I'm not just gonna take a few guards. I want people who are capable, and I wasn't impressed with the soldiers who 'assisted' us."

"I wouldn't know anyone around here either, don't look at me." I laughed at her response, her pose was comical: raised arms, wide eyes.

"Got any gryphon friends that'd help?" Gilda's eyes immediately darkened. _Bad question to ask._

"No. I don't." The silence between us was deafening. About five minutes later, I spoke up again.

"Well, if I don't know anyone, and you don't know anyone, I guess we'll have to go out and find someone. Should start with Applejack and Fluttershy." I scrawled a short note, for when Twilight woke up. _In town. Don't know when will be back. Brian. _I left it on the couch that I had slept on. "You coming with?" She crossed her arms.

"I don't think the town will be too happy to see me. No thanks."

"If you say so. If you change your mind, come find me." When I stepped out of [semi]darkness of the library, I had two things on my mind, Gilda the Gryphon and a way home. **(A/N: Somebody better see what I did there. *cough cough* Ponyboy *cough cough*) **I was thinking about Gilda, as I was worried about her. _You can't suppress yourself for so long without some side-effects. It's taking a toll on her, and I need her at 100%. _The murmur of the town around me kept me aware. I didn't want to hurt anyone with my size.

"… the green one? You know, the one wearing the cape? He was, like, so handsome!" I overheard a conversation from a group of gossiping mares sitting at a nearby table. This made me think of the mysterious stallion that had saluted me yesterday. _Find him? Well… I do need all the help I can get. _

"Excuse me?" As it turns out, the pink mare with the lily in her mane was part of the group, and gawked at me. I continued like I didn't notice her horrified stare. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Would you happen to know where he is?" _Okay, she is seriously creeping me out now. _Luckily, one of the others answered.

"Just saw him heading towards Sweet Apple Acres, you could probably catch him there!" _… I have no clue where that is. _

"Could you tell me how to get to there from here?" I felt pretty stupid asking for directions. _Now I know why everyone is so reluctant to do so._ Luckily, she didn't give me a hard time or anything.

"Sure! Just down this street, take the first street on the right. Once you get to Sugarcube Corner, take a left onto Mane Street and follow the road out of town."

"Thanks." As I set off, I heard them say something about me.

"Isn't he the human from the party?"

"DUH! He's the only human! Never really got a good look at him, he's kind of-" I didn't hear the last part, for I had turned around the corner.

I came across what I thought was Sugarcube Corner, as there was a building that resembled a gingerbread house. Taking a left, I started into a light jog. _Feels good to run without threat of being a rotten egg or death. _I chuckled at my own dry humor. _Who knows? Maybe being an egg is worse than death. But isn't an egg a sign of new life? Wait, this is a rotten egg I'm talking about. Er… thinking about. _I barely noticed that I was out of the town and on empty road again. I finally did notice when I ran head first into a tree branch, snapping me back to reality.

"Ow…" I look around again, and notice the red fruit hanging on the trees. _Apples. More specifically, red delicious apples. With a few braeburn trees scattered around. _It took me a moment to piece things together. _Oh, right. Green pony. Got it. _I break into a sprint now, focusing on catching him. _Dunno how long I spent just running like that, but I need to get my ass in gear. _Unfortunately for me, the trees were trimmed to about four feet above the ground, so limbs crashed into me often, or rather, I crashed into them. Eventually, the road gave way to a large clearing of land, and a hill rose up out of nowhere. I scanned the surrounding area. Huge, almost mountain-like hills surrounded the clearing. _Where the hell did those come from?_ In the clearing laid a large, red barn and some other structures. A stand stood about fifteen feet away from me, the familiar in appearance but otherwise a stranger to me Applejack, and the dark green pony. I noticed now that he was wearing a cloak reminiscent of his color, covering most of his body. A collar hid his neck, and the most I could see was his hooves, his face, and his dark brown tail and mane. He still wore a wide brimmed hat, but I knew that it was no cowboy hat. It was intentionally pulled low, and kept the light off of his face, making him almost completely anonymous.

"… ya don't say? Well, thank ya kindly Mr…. uh…" I overheard, remembering the voice from my first night after meeting Twilight and Co. _Hard to forget a voice like that. Especially with that accent. Cute. … what the hell did I just think?_ She was still wearing her hat, a detail from before forgotten until the current moment. _That's strange. I don't forget things easily._ The green pony took notice of her struggle, tipping his hat as he spoke.

"Trailblazer."

"Well Trailblazer, thank ya for stopping by."

"Not a problem." I decided now to make my presence known, using the green stallion's name.

"Trailblazer?" He turned to me, and I could barely make out a smirk beneath the shadow of his hat.

"Heard you coming, Brian." Trailblazer said, shocking me for a moment, but I retained my composure.

"I see you know my name." I was mildly amused. _Not every day you get to feel like a celebrity._

"Who doesn't?" This made me brighten even more. It was my turn to smirk.

"Why do you say that?" I said, scratching my head.

"I don't know, maybe the fact that you're the only human on this planet with that name, at least as far as I know. Not to mention many ponies saw you slay the raven. You're famous for that." _Hm. I don't like this. Not the attention, at least._

"That's flattering and all, but there's a reason I came for you." He shifted his weight, his body language suggesting surprise.

"You followed me for a reason?" Trailblazer's voice remained calm, the way it was before. His body language had still given off signs of surprise, though.

"I don't know if this is too much to ask or not, but here goes." I took a deep breath. I saw Applejack watching the scene with some amusement. "This goes for you too, Applejack." She gave a slight start at my words, but then nodded. "You obviously know that I defeated the raven monster." They both nodded. "Now imagine about a million of those. Except these are all different creatures. Bears, lions, dragons… let your imagination do the work." Applejack's eyes went wide. I realized she must've seen the guard dragging the body back to wherever, because I hadn't seen a camera yet. Or photographs, for that matter. Trailblazer remained the same.

"That's not even the worst part. They aren't even… well, they weren't like that to begin with. I've been told that they're 'infected.' I'm assuming this caused them to mutate into things like the raven. This also leads me to believe that they're being controlled by the Elders."

"Elders? What 'n tarnation are they?" Applejack asked. Trailblazer merely nodded. _Aloof. Reminds me of me. Although, I have been considerably more talkative lately. I wonder if that's a good thing or not._

"They're… Well, I don't really know. All I know is that they're attacking us. And that's it." _That's not true. You know more. _

"So why are you approaching me about this?" _Shoot, he got it._

"You… might not believe this one." I took another deep breath.

"Try us."

"… There's a prophecy. About a fallen angel. And these Elders. I think it's me." I paused. "Scratch that, I'm pretty damn sure it's me. Princess Celestia has told me to gather a team. I need you, Applejack." She gave me a strange look.

"Me? Why would ya need me? Ah'm just a farmpony."

"You are the Element of Honesty, are you not?" Applejack gave me another weird look, but this one was more out of surprise.

"Ah-Ah dunno what'cher talkin' about."

"… Princess Celestia told me. While politicians are total dickweeds on Earth, I'm taking a leap of faith and saying that she's not like that. Besides, Twilight Sparkle herself stood to agree with her. Yes, I know. You're also a terrible liar."

"Am not."

"Please, your inability to look me in the eye is enough of an indicator. And I can't forget about your stutter, or the fact that when you lied you immediately looked around to find a way to get away from me. Your body language was another clue, as you gave me an uneasy grin and tensed up."

"I'm impressed." Trailblazer mumbled from under his hat, very obviously observing my actions. Applejack shifted around again, then looked me in the eye, a look of defeat in her eyes.

"Fine. Ah'm the Element of Honesty. What's yer point?"

"I'm supposed to enlist the help of the Elements. Including you."

"And me? I didn't hear anything about a green stallion in there." Trailblazer butted in.

"Don't need a reason. I need all the help I can get. You seem capable." I faced him.

"I am capable. And I don't say that to be boastful, mind you."

"Action. Not words." I said firmly. He nodded and his cloak glowed, revealing a surprising item. Under his cloak lay what seemed to be the pony equivalent of an oak longbow, along with a quiver. He pulled the bow off of his back, pulling it up to his level. Trailblazer was now on his back two feet, and was just as tall as me. _First of all, he just used magic, why is he holding it with his hooves, and second, how is he holding that without hands? That's not even possible! Oh wait, I'm in Equestria, where ponies rule the world, unicorns and pegasuses… pegasi… pegapeople… flying horses exist, and seemingly omnipotent creatures known as Elders threaten life as they know it. Why am I even surprised anymore? _ An arrow with dark brown and forest green fletching was pulled out of the quiver now, was knocked, and drawn to full strength. He looked over at Applejack.

"May I?"

"Go fer it." I now noticed that he was aiming at one of the trees. He released the arrow, a whistling sound breaking the silence. The arrow cut an apple off of the tree. The apple rebounded off the tree in an ridiculously cartoony way, and landed in my hand. _Once again, physics appear to be in play about half the time here._

"Quite the shot. I think I'd like to see you hit a moving target, though."

"No problem." _He's confident. Just have to hope it's the good type of confident, rather than cocky._

"I hope you're ready."

"Why wouldn't I—whoa!" I had thrown the apple into the air when he was talking, taking him by surprise. However, he recovered in that same instant, and the apple soon came to the ground. I looked at where it landed, and surely enough, the arrow had found its target.

"Nice recovery, but you're going to have to learn how to be more prepared. Scout motto, 'Be Prepared.' You'd do well to follow it. But, considering you'll be working with me, ."

"You'll take me?" He asked, his calm demeanor giving way to an incredulous one. I could easily read his face now that his hat was off.

"I don't see why I shouldn't. You seem like you want to do this." I offered a hand, which he took with his hoof. We shook, then he stepped back.

"I want to. No, I need to. The guard didn't cut it for me anymore." I cocked an eyebrow at this.

"You left the guard?"

"Sometimes you've got to do things outside of your comfort zone. They don't understand that there." I nodded, as I'd known the same feeling a few times before.

"Understandable. So, um, welcome to the team, population… uh… three."

"Make it four. Ah'll help ya. 'Sides, if ah didn't, and you lost, ah'm afraid there wouldn't be a farm to come back to. Don't have much of a choice." Applejack said tipping her own hat._ What is with them and tipping their hats?_

"When do I start?" Trailblazer asked.

"Now. But right now I've got other work to do. You live anywhere nearby?"

"Whitetail Wood. Look for the smoke, should be easy enough to see."

"You live in the woods? Damn, you are just like me." _Did I just say that out loud?_ Luckily, he just chuckled.

"You too? And I thought I was the only one. Other than that one zebra, Zecora, I think." We both laughed.

"Yeah, I know that feel. I'll contact you when I need you. If you need to find me, look for me in town, or at the library."

"Will do… er… Brian." I noticed his hesitation.

"Cat got your tongue?" I said, almost teasingly.

"No sir. I mean, no Brian. Just used to referring to rank. Nothing serious."

"I don't mind. Anyways, I've got work to do. I'll talk to you later, Trailblazer. You too, Applejack."

"Goodbye Chief—er… Brian."

"Seeya later Brian!"

* * *

><p>It was now about noon, and I was back in town. I stopped by Carousel Boutique to see if Rarity needed any help. <em>I don't know how much time I've got until the princess sends me anywhere… doesn't mean I shouldn't help out Rarity. Also have to ask her about recruitment. <em>I pushed open the door, and was greeted by a gentle ringing of bells.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and—oh, it's you." She had been working at her sewing machine. I chuckled at her reaction.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." I thought for a moment before continuing. _She was working. I interrupted. Great… _ "Uh… is it a bad thing? 'Cause I don't want to bother you or anything."

"Oh no, not at all dear. Just had a WONDERFUL idea for a new line. You see-" I cut her off with my hand, not really wanting to hear the details.

"I'm glad to hear that, but I was actually wondering if you've got any work for me to do?" She thought about it for a moment. _Please have something to do. I need to keep occupied, otherwise I'll probably do something stupid. _

"No, nothing at the moment. I would like to finish the dress I was working on, but thanks for stopping by!" _I hate forcing myself to stay when she's trying to work, but I have to ask her about joining the team. Then again, she doesn't really have a choice. _I snapped myself out of my thoughts.

"I'm sorry to keep you from getting back to work, but there's one more thing I have to ask you." She turned around with a bit of a smile, which she lost when she saw my serious face.

"Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow. _Wait, how does she raise one eyebrow if she doesn't even have any? Seriously, what is this—Oh, yeah. Magic. Dammit._

"Princess Celestia visited Twilight, Gilda, and I last night."

"Whatever for?"

"About the Elders. You know, the big, mean, raven that kept Dash and I in a cave for five days? The same one that almost killed one of us…" I paused to count on my fingers, but gave up. "… it doesn't matter how many times, but you get the idea. That wasn't even an Elder."

"You're pulling my leg, right?"

"No. I'm not. It was only under Elder control. I'm assuming you can figure out the rest."

"There's more than that one. In fact, there could be hundreds, or thousands of them! Oh my, this is horrible! Of all things that could have possible happened, this is THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING." I watched the rant, as she dramatically fell back onto a couch-thing that appeared out of nowhere. _Where did that even come from? More magic?_

"Yeah. It is." I chose my next words carefully. _Psh. Fairly obvious she enjoys the drama, might as well let her enjoy it. _"But don't lose hope." Rarity opened her eyes and gave me a curious look. "We can fight them. I have to fight them, and I'm sure I can win. The Elements of Harmony are needed to fight them." I pointed at her. "You. You can fight them." She looked appalled.

"Me? Fighting? But I'm just a fashionista! What can I do?"

"I know you're the element of generosity, Rarity. And I'm taking a leap of faith in saying this, but I need all six of the elements to help, otherwise it doesn't have as much of an effect. I don't have any other choice than to do this. I have to fight. Odds are, fate brought me here TO fight." _Flattery? Flattery. _"You've got an eye for detail, I see. That's something I need." _Another one, that is. Great, now I'm flattering myself. _"Not only that, but your magic would come in handy as well." She was blushing slightly at my compliments. _Let's use the 'friend's already doing it' card._

"Twilight's already doing it." It was, at this point, that Rarity was considering doing it. She had cocked her head in thought. I saw a few books on a shelf towards the back of the shop and recognized the title of the mushy romance novel I had partially read in the library. "And…" I let myself trail off, smirking slightly. _Let's hope this works. _

"And what?" She tilted her head even more.

"Andthere'."

"What was that? I'm sorry dear, but you're going to have to slow down a bit."

"There's a stallion who will be helping me. I'm sure you two will get along just fine." _Well, there's one way to alienate the only male you've seen here. If this works, that is. Although, judging by the way her eyes just got stars in them, I think it did._

"Really? What is he like? I hope he's not like Blue-"

"Up-up-up! Will you help me to fight?"

"Of course! I was going to help you from the beginning, dear! I just wanted to hear all the perks… er, perk, that comes with it! And-" She looked at me with half-lidded eyes. _So that's what a sultry look looks like. She's like this, and yet, she hasn't even met Trailblazer. _"I have to say that it sounds like a wonderful bonus."

"Uh… maybe I shouldn't have said anything about Trailblazer." Her eyes shot back open, pupils the size of pinpricks.

"Trailblazer? He's working with you?" … _And there goes the neighborhood._

"Is there a problem?"

"No! Oh nonononononono! That's wonderful news! I haven't seen him in years! I don't believe I've talked to him since we were filly and colt! I wonder how he is…" She paused and gave me a strange look. "Why would you ever think there was a problem, dear?" _Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you were shocked out of your calm state at the mere mention of his name?_

"Well, the way you… nevermind. Are you sure there's no work to be done? Anything about the armor?" I asked, remembering how she had accepted the job of making it.

"Yes, I'm sure, no, I have not received the metals to even begin production." _Damn. At least she's joining the fight. So that's… three elements, two others, and myself. _I looked out the window to see that there was about an hour of sunlight left. _I should start heading back to the library._

"… okay. Can you give me a heads-up when you do get the material? I'd like to help you with it. Well, I'd like to help you in any way I can."

"Absolutely." We stood there awkwardly. I looked down at my feet for a moment. _Shit, this is weird. Uh… what was I going to say..? Oh yeah, go back to library, sleep, continue recruitment, rinse and repeat until I have as many ponies/people/sentient beings as I need, or are called into action. _

"I should let you get back to work. You know where to find me."

"Oh no, it wasn't a problem at-" I was already out the door. _I hate goodbyes. I'm so bad with them. I think I preferred leaving home for the first time, it's not like I had to kiss Mom before I left. Heh, if I kissed Mom I'd probably suffocate from her breath alone._

"Thanks Rarity!" I called over my shoulder as I began the walk back to the tree-brary.

* * *

><p>"So… you're saying we gotta read up on these things? Like, studying? Do you even know me?" A tomboyish voice came from the library. I wasn't too far away now, in fact, I was within ten yards of it.<p>

"Gilda, be reasonable. We're not going to learn how to stop the infected creatures if we don't know about them! I mean, sure, there's probably not much about-" _… I get no more than twenty feet away from the library and I can hear Twilight and Gilda arguing._

"Trial by fire."

"Which doesn't always work! Besides, we have already fought infected animals."

"By we, I think you mean me, Dash, and Brian have already fought them."

"You don't understand! I fought one too! In fact, Brian would be dead if I didn't!" _Ouch, right in the ego. I owe her my life on more than one occasion, two if I'm keeping track. _"You need to see that we need to focus on the absolutes!" By now I was posted up against the door of the library and was listening in. _I'm liking Gilda's approach more and more, but the 'trial by fire' thing isn't gonna work too well. Twilight's right in that we're going to have to take risks—but I'm damn well going to make sure that it's not in vain._ There was a lull here, and I assumed that Gilda was formulating a response.

"And there are none." I opened the door, speaking as I came in. As it turns out, the scene was much how I thought it was. Gilda and Twilight were on opposite ends of a table, stacks of books on either end. Spike (I didn't know his name at that point in time, as we had never been introduced properly.) remained behind Twilight, half quivering in fear, half quivering in anger. _Poor guy._

"You both fail to understand what kind of shit we're dealing with here. Mostly with chances. You," I pointed at Gilda. "need to learn that these are calculated risks. If it comes down to something where we are in a dangerous situation we are NOT going to throw lives away. And you," My hand now pointed to Twilight. "need to know that we're going to have to take chances in the first place. It will happen. This isn't like math, there isn't always the same way to solve a problem to get the same answer. But like math, there's a different answer to every problem- and a different way to solve it." _Nice one with the student-esque simile, me. Pat on the mental back. Why am I talking to myself in my head? How am I even doing this in the very short time that I have before I continue? Why am I not thinking about what to say next? What the hell is the author thinking?_ "Do you understand?" A short nod from both ended the conversation.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to the balcony. If you need something, that's where I'll be. If not, goodnight." With that, I climbed the stairs and laid down on the aforementioned balcony. _Where to even begin…_

_Gilda is obviously going to have problems with the other members of the team—at least all members that have met her before, which all happen to be elements of harmony. The prior offense against the elements, which I still haven't heard the full story on, will be a cause of mistrust between them. I believe the only way to mitigate (at the very least) the damage is to solve the problem._

_I don't know how to approach others about joining the team—especially Fluttershy. I mean, Pinkie Pie is the element of laughter... and is kind of out-there. Scratch that, she's freaking insane. Beserker? ... maybe, but might crack under pressure. May be a problem if in survival situation. Rainbow Dash might be pretty hard to get considering she still has some problems with Gilda. May also have problem listening- that's assuming I take leadership role. Hit and run tactic would work well with her. But Fluttershy... from what I've learned, she's definitely not fighting material. We can't exactly weaponize adorable-ness, now can we? _

_Did I just think that? … The overall girliness of the talking, pastel-colored ponies is getting to me. _

…

_Moving on._

_While the stare she gave me when I made my bad first impression was… out of character, to say the least, it was effective. Granted, we're not going to hold down the Elders, whatever the hell they are, and give them a stern lecture about trying to kill everybody in the world. Gah, I can't even say that! I don't even know why they're trying to kill us. If I could get my hands on the poetry book that Twilight found the prophecy in, maybe I could—_

"Brian? Are you awake?" _Speak of the devil. _My thoughts were interrupted by the unicorn librarian, standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm awake. Did you need something?"

"I should be asking you that. You are my guest." _Dammit, I'm overstaying my welcome, aren't I? Er… I'll work that out tomorrow._

"I guess." An awkward silence passed in a moment. _Uhh… think of something to say. Goddamn my lack of ability in keeping a conversation going. _"But seriously, did you need me?"

"Well, I don't need you... I was sort of curious-" I took a wild guess at what she was about to say and interrupted.

"About me? About Earth?" She nodded.

"Not much to tell. At least, not much more than you already know."

"I was actually going to start off with something that you're looking at right now." _What I'm looking at right now. Trees, stars, the sky, her… _

"No, we don't have unicorns or pegasi. Just normal ponies, and they aren't every color imaginable, nor are they sentient beings. They don't talk, which partly explains why I ran away from you when I first arrived."

"That's not what I was going to ask." I cocked one eyebrow at this. "… Okay, maybe it was one of my questions. But that's beside the point. I was going to ask about the sky, and the weather, and… I'm babbling, aren't I?"

"Yes, yes you are. But the sky? What about the sky?"

"Is it like ours?"

"In the way of stars? Not at all. The only thing that is remotely close to Earth's stars is the Big Dipper and the moon."

"What about the weather?"

"As far as I can tell everything's the same—besides the fact that you can control your weather. We can't do that, and it's probably better that way."

"Why would it be better that way?"

"I already told you that Earth's a messed up place, right?"

"You did."

"Well, by messed up, I mean seriously screwy. We are forever at war with each other, murder numbers go up every year… it's bad. I mean, look at me! I'm a thirteen year old guy whose father died when I was just seven, which in turn caused my mother to turn to alcoholism. Eventually she ended up taking out her pain on me, and I chose to run away from my problems when I was nine. I'd been living alone in the forest for FOUR YEARS before getting dumped here. The sad part is that there is even more kids like me, who can't run away. There's kids who turn to drugs, join gangs, and end up dead because of it. There have even been shootings at schools! Teens who are just so sick of everything they bring a gun to school and take pot-shots at their classmates and friends! And that's not even the beginning." Another minute of silence fell on us, but this time, it was because we had nothing to say.

"But then—I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"How could you say that? I mean, from what you've just described, that's horrible! Why would you want to go back there?"

"Because it's my home. This," I pulled my arm from behind my head and gestured around me. "is a wonderful place, and I wish Earth could be this peaceful. This is a true utopia—but it doesn't make up for the fact that I don't belong here. It's not where I belong. There's a saying, 'Home is where the heart is.' My heart isn't here. It's on Earth. That's how I know I don't belong here."

"… You don't really mean that, do you?"

"I do. I really only talked about the bad back home. There's good, more than you could ever imagine. As long as there's good in the world, we'll get by." _As long as there are people in the world, there's good in it._ "My friends… er… friend, is still back there. If I stayed here and deserted her, what kind of person would I be?"

"Not a good one."

"Exactly. To betray your friends is to lose them, and I'm not losing them."

"Can I ask you something that may or may not be personal?" _May or may not be personal, huh? Let's see what's on your mind._

"Shoot."

"You, uh, used the feminine pronoun 'her' so I was wondering if you misspoke?"

"No, I didn't."

"So… is she your mare-friend?" _Mare-friend? She must mean girlfriend._

"The word you're looking for is 'girlfriend', and no, she's not. Even if she was, I'd probably do something to screw our relationship up."

"Oh." Her eyes shifted towards the door again, and I could tell she was trying to think of something to say to leave.

"Go ahead and leave, that is, if you're done."

"Thank you." I was alone. _Alone again… _ I sighed. _Now where was I…_

"Hey Brian." _Or not. _Gilda had dropped onto the balcony from a branch above. "I was wondering when she'd leave."

"Yeah, well, it's not like I was going to force her."

"So what's her name?" _She probably means Cordelia._

"You're very up-front, I'll give you that. It's Cordelia."

"And you're not dating?"

"No, we're not. Like I said, assuming you overheard this, even if she was my girlfriend I'd mess things up."

"I was gonna say, you don't seem like the kind of guy that would be dating girls right now." She said in a tone I couldn't quite recognize. _Somewhat of a joking voice, but there's a slight quiver to it as well. Is she nervous about talking to me? _ I chuckled quietly and smiled at her.

"I'm not gay, if that's what you're implying." She blushed and began to stutter. _Okay, seriously, how does she blush through white feathers? Are they really just see-through, or does blood run through her feathers somehow? It's funny, really, how before I would've totally dismissed that idea, but now it's like anything is possible._

"That's not- I wasn't saying- I didn't mean to"

"I know, I'm just messing with you."

"I'm… er…"

"No need. You're right, though. To be honest, I've had the 'crushes' here and there throughout my life, but nothing serious. I've always had a bigger problem to worry about, or I was too young." I said, interrupting her. "Just look at the current situation. There's a few important things that may or may not decide my personal destiny and the end of this world. Number one on this list is the Elders. If what we've seen so far are only mere possessions of them, God knows how powerful they may be. I don't even know how many of them there are—we're walking into the unknown with this whole thing. Maybe whoever's working on the raven's corpse will find something useful, or maybe we'll all just die tomorrow. I'm trying my best to look on the bright side, but the odds of our survival," I made eye contact with the gryphon. "are about a million to one." I broke eye contact and gazed up at the stars.

"Granted, we don't know specifics yet, so I can't make that assumption. I'm basing that on what I have seen, and that's the inability of the guards here in Ponyville, or, at the very least, their lack of weapons and training. I also don't know how the "team" is going to perform under stress."

"Did anyone new join? Or are we gonna end up dead because we can't get anyone to help?" she asked.

"Funny that you should ask. Another element of harmony, and a former guard."

"Thought you said the guards' skills were lame."

"They were." I rolled my eyes.

"Then why would you get some old one?"

"Not that old. He proved he could sharpshoot with a bow."

"Anything beyond that?"

"Frankly, he's better than most of our options."

"Well, duh, the ponies are pansies when it comes to fighting. Mostly just 'run away and hope it gets someone else' or 'let's try and befriend it!'."

"Not entirely true. Rainbow fought the raven, the guard, while failing to do anything to hurt it, offered us protection during the battle, and Twilight Sparkle killed a giant beetle under Elder possession. Saved my life, I owe her two of them now. I just hope I can repay her."

"You mean to tell me that the lame librarian saved YOUR life, not only once, but twice?"

"Yes, and I'd watch yourself. That same librarian is sheltering you until I can find a way to become self-sufficient." _Did I make the right choice in saying that? … that was a right versus wrong choice- and I know I made the right one. _ A silence fell upon us, as Gilda was interpreting what I had just said.

"Wait, you mean," I interrupted her sentence, knowing exactly what she was about to say.

"You said you were kicked out of your house. By family, I'm assuming." Her reaction confirmed this. "You're not going back to the forest."

"I can't let you," I cut her off again. _Note to self, stop interrupting people. _

"You can't let me what? Offer you a home once I have one of my own? Gilda, I left my own home, not because I was forced, but because if I had stayed, I very well may have been killed. I know you didn't have a choice, and I did. But I what kind of person would I be if I didn't allow you to get back on your feet?

Look, I don't know how long I'm going to be here. I don't know if we're going to die doing this. Those 'things' were hard as hell to kill. Like I said before, it's unlikely we'll survive, at least in my opinion. But if either of us deserves to live more, it's you."

"But… why? I think we both know that in movies the gryphon dies first." _They have movies here? And yet, they don't have—nevermind, saw an arcade. Perhaps they have radios, walkie-talkies, or something. Sure would help communication if in any combat situation. … Must remain on track, conversation top priority at moment._

"Does that matter? That's a movie. This is the real life." _Or is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide… NO STAY ON TARGET! _ "Your race doesn't matter. What matters is who you are."

"But I'm just a mean old bully to the scaredy-ponies."

"That was then. This is now. The past is the past, now you have to look towards the future. I'm not asking you to change yourself. You be who you want to be. But I will give my opinion on the matter.

You are…. Special. We all are. You see the stars up in the sky? Every one of those is different. Every. Single. One. It's almost like snowflakes, but we don't melt in a matter of seconds. We leave a legacy. We leave something to be remembered by. Those stars leave their light. Somewhere in this universe, there's a star for you. Somewhere in my universe, there's a star for me. Our stars outshine the ones around them—and those dim ones are like our hidden talents, the parts of us that never show. I believe that there's a part of you that you just won't show to anyone else. It's not only your sensitivity, but your kindness. You can be as nice as anyone around here, you've just got an edge. Being nice, showing kindness, and letting on a little sensitivity can't take that edge. There's nothing wrong with it. In conclusion, let me ask you this, and I want you to think about it." Gilda nodded once, twice, then my brown eyes met her gold eyes.

"Do you want to be remembered as that mean old gryphon, because that's who you made yourself out to be, or do you want to be remembered as who you really are, as Gilda?"

***whispering so as to not kill the moment* review... pony... on...**

**-LazerShaman**


	11. Vacation

**A/N: Huge apologies for the wait, once again. Also, just realized I tend to write chapters day by day, I think there's one that spans multiple days, and that's a time lapse. Continue this pattern? [Y/N]**

**Sorry about errors, I didn't really proofread this.**

**Read and review. But read first.**

_ "How did you know to do that?"_

_ "Do what?"_

_ "You just stared down a raging, angry drunk man armed with a gun. And lived."_

_ "It's not like I wasn't armed." I gestured to the yellow handled hatchet embedded in a log beside me. The fire crackled, sending up a shower of sparks._

_ "Still." I threw some wood onto the fire, slightly annoyed that Cordelia had decided to sit right where I stoke the flames._

_ "Still what? I did what I thought was right." A small, cool wind came up the hill causing me to shiver, blow on the fire, and pull my up my hood. I peeked out from under my hood to take a better look at the figure before me. The adrenaline rush was wearing off now; she no longer looked like she had seen a ghost. She sat in the dirt across from me, a light fleece jacket draping over her slim frame. Two duffel bags stuffed with various clothing articles lay around her, one behind her being used as a back rest. _

_ "And if you didn't do that, there could have been a problem. Hell, he was going to shoot you." I thought about that for a long time._

_ "What matters is that I did do it, he didn't shoot me, and you're safe now."_

* * *

><p>Thunder. Rain falling on leaves. The sound of breaking limbs. Wait, what? I opened my eyes. I immediately saw some red flags so as to my location. <em>Strange. I don't remember coming inside… Where the hell did this blanket come from?<em> I was back on the couch- Gilda on the couch adjacent, facing away from me._ What the hell did I do last night? _I smelled my breath and wrinkled my nose. _Awful, but I don't smell like alcohol. Hm. _A clock on the wall told me it was eight o' clock, which surprised me. _Dragon-boy is usually up by now; I've heard him grumbling about making breakfast around seven for three days. The darkness probably kept him asleep. … I wonder how a baby dragon ended up with our friendly neighborhood slightly-OCD librarian. Something to ask Twilight. _I turned my head to the not-so-friendly neighborhood gryphon. _Is it weird I find the fact she's a big softie… cute? _I pondered the question for a moment. _Yes, yes it is. You're two different species; you don't know how long you'll be in Equestria, not to mention you have bigger problems._ _… Dammit hormones, not seeing any human beings are not an excuse to screw around._

I stood up, walked away from the couch, and looked out the window. The wind was blowing enough to bend some of the younger trees over. Thatch from cottages blew around in cyclones. Lightning shot across the sky in a shape never to be seen again. _One Mississippi, two Mississippi… and there's the thunder._ The window rattled in its frame from the sheer volume of the thunderclap. I wondered if the library would hold. I wondered if I would hold. I already felt stressed, but then, wouldn't anyone? Dropped into a world unknown to humankind, inhabited by sentient ponies, and gryphons. _It's like a fairy tale. But with ponies. _I rolled my eyes. _Oh, right, monsters trying to kill me. How could I ever forget that detail? _

"You're up early." A feminine voice broke the silence—causing me to jump – and a hoof brushed past the still developing wings and rested on my shoulder.

"Jesus, you scared me." I brushed off the purple hoof and turned around to face Twilight.

"Jesus?" _Better not go into this._

"Religious thing. Tell you some other time."

"Um… why not now?" _Dammit, why did I have to say that?_

"Never mind. Forget I said anything." I tried to think of things to say to break the silence. _Tongue-tied again… why am I so inept at keeping a conversation?_

"I was wondering about some things last night, and…"

"What?"

"I was hoping you could answer some questions I had."

"Not like there's anything else I could be doing." She laughed. Twilight went and grabbed a notebook, quill, and inkpot. _What, no one invented the pen yet?_

"You're in a library!" I shushed her and pointed at Gilda. "Oh. Right." She whispered. "But there are so many books you could be reading."

"Just ask the damn questions already."

"Alright, alright. Do humans normally grow wings?" _That's a stupid question. Because it'd be totally normal for shit to just, explode out of our backs. _

"No." I replied bluntly. She scratched something out.

"Okay…" The question/answer period went on for a while, Twilight asking normal questions like "Where do you live?" and "Do you go to school?" and it was a while before I realized Gilda was eyeing us from across the room. _Why is she watching? Why doesn't she get up and join us?_

"Hmm… multiple races, but no real defining characteristics besides skin and hair colors. Interesting. What do you do for fun?"

"What does my species do for fun, or what specifically do I do for fun?"

"Why not both?" She shrugged.

"Sleep. Eat. Play with fire and sharp objects."

"Whose interests were those? Yours or everyone else?"

"Hm? Oh, that was me. I don't know what the rest of my species likes to do besides my age group. Even then, I don't know much. Total hermit until recent developments, remember? Wait, never told you that. Never mind."

"What your age group does should suffice."

"Well, Aidan likes to watch movies, play video games, read when he actually takes his ADHD pill. Then again, Aidan isn't exactly normal. The rest of them bitch about the other gender. Gossip behind each other's backs. Bitch about each other some more. Some of them are real assholes and beat up the smart kids solely for the reason that they're smarter than them, but not as strong."

"Bullies." She spat the word out like it was poison, but I couldn't blame her. Gilda cringed on the couch. _Forgot about her for a while._

"Exactly." I said brusquely.

"Did they bully you?"

"Heh, I can't tell if that's an indirect compliment or not." She gave a confused look. "You know, because I said they beat up the smart kids..?" Nothing. I sighed. "They tried."

"… What do you mean?" Twilight asked slowly, her voice shaking slightly.

"Long story." I rubbed my right arm, but I soon realized what I was doing and stopped.

"Plenty of time." The unicorn countered.

"Answer's still no."

"For now." _My head hurts. _I glanced at the clock. _It's not even nine o' clock. Shit, I need to get out of here._

"This may seem like a weird question, but do you have a box of matches anywhere?"

"Um… yes, I do, why do you ask?"

"I need to think."

"Why do you need matches?"

"Thinking matches." _If she didn't think I was crazy before, she probably does now._ "Lighting a match helps me think."

"You're kind of in a place full of old, dusty paper, which just so happens to be inside of a tree. I don't think that'd be the brightest of ideas."

"Then I'll go outside."

"It's still raining cats and dogs out there."

"Oh. Right. Got any good books?" I immediately regretted asking this question, as I was grabbed around the waist faster than the lightning outside could flash. An impromptu tour of the library that I was already pretty familiar with commenced, multiple books new and old thrown into my open arms. Two tomes caught my eye- _Races of Equestria: Everything You Probably Already Know About Sentient Species and More! _by Cpt. Obvious Facts, and _The Equestrian Bestiary: An A-Z Guide _ by Spaced **(A/N: This is an actual fan fiction on fimfiction that is a collaboration between multiple authors, check it out)**. I waited for Twi to stop throwing books at me before I set the ones I had managed to catch down on a conveniently placed table and grabbed the two out of the pile.

"What do you have there?"

"I want to know about the creatures here. That's about it." I flipped through the bestiary to find all pages after Gryphon were left blank. _Well, that's helpful. _I set it aside and grabbed the first book and opened it to the first page.

"That book is like a failed world cultures textbook, it says everything – " Twilight tried to explain.

"That everypony already knows. I am not a pony. Thus, I wouldn't know. Let me read the damn book." It was, at that moment, I caught a bit of motion in my peripheral vision. Gilda was moving silently across the library towards us. We made eye contact, the gryphon holding a talon up to her mouth. I nodded slowly. She creeped quietly over the solid oaken floor, the sound of her lion paws masked by the books Twilight was shelving. She slid slightly to the unicorn's right, remaining in her blind spot. She mimed snapping her neck, but I shook my head vigorously. Too vigorously. Twilight stopped shelving books and turned suddenly.

"What are you doing?" she asked. _Shit. _Gilda just gave me a thumbs up.

"Um, shaking my hair. It was… in my eyes."

"Hm. Maybe you should talk to Rarity about getting it cut. Or you could go to the spa." I shuddered. _I don't even want to know what they'd do to me there._

It was at this time that Gilda leaned into the lavender mare's ear and whispered quietly, "Boo." The next couple of seconds brought me to tears of laughter, the first time in a long time I had laughed so hard. Everyone's favorite librarian, having still not been fully awake, screamed comically jumped high into the air and hit the ceiling. I moved quickly to catch her if she fell, only to see she was stuck in the ceiling. Needless to say, I busted out in laughter, double high fived Gilda, and fell over laughing.

"NOT FUNNY GUYS, NOT FUNNY!" Twilight yelled, still dangling from the ceiling. I was too busy rolling on the floor to care. When I finally stopped rolling, I put my hands on the ground and placed my weight on them, only to slip and hit my head on the ground. My vision, slightly fuzzy from the collision, showed that my palms were slick with blood. _The fuck?_

"Shit. What the hell did I do now?"

"Let me—oh crap, did I slice you?" All of my fingertips were cut and bleeding, the blood flowing down my arm.

"No, I totally just spontaneously started bleeding." I replied sarcastically, strangely fascinated by the crimson coming out of my hands. A slight twinkling sound came from the ceiling, Twilight falling to the ground a second later.

"How the hay did you claw him up Gilda?" I glanced at Gilda's hands, then back at mine.

"I guess our hands just… mismatched. Her talons just raked through the skin. Shouldn't be any serious damage. It's actually surprisingly painless." I guessed. Gilda opened her beak to apologize only for me to continue, "Very sharp. I didn't lie when I said those talons might come in handy." She flustered and closed her mouth. The same music-box sound from before came, this time I recognized it as Twi's magic as bandages enveloped in reddish-violet began wrapping themselves snugly around my hands. The bandages weaved around wrist, palm, and fingers before tying themselves off. I wiggled my fingers. _That's… amazing. No resistance. Like the bandages aren't even there. _

"You know, I would put pressure on your hands, but I don't know how much."

"It's fine. I'll just lean back on them. Just show me the book." I winced as I put weight on them. _Pain really is just mental, you feel it once you've realized you're injured._

"Which one again?"

"Races of Equestria."

"Right." Gilda reached to grab the tome, only for it to be magicked away into my lap. I picked it up and flipped through the pages, noting the glare the gryphon gave Twilight. Twilight stuck her tongue out. _What's their issue?_ A voice in the back of my head told me I was missing something in this scenario. I felt all my pockets before letting it go and looking at the page I opened.

* * *

><p>Pony<p>

_Equus Terra_

_Equus unicornus_

_Equus Pegasus_

Location: Mainly Equestria, but can be found in many other places across the globe.

The first species to form a civilization dates back thousands of years ago. It is often said that ponies have been through four evolutionary generations, despite the disappearance of unicorns and pegasi in the second and third generations. All ponies have low (Earth ponies, Pegasi) to high magical aptitude (skilled unicorns), and . The earth pony lacks both horn and wings. Although it is often said that the earth pony cannot use magic like its sub-species, _equus unicornis _and _equus Pegasus_. This, however, is not true. The magic within all unicorns is active, and can be drawn upon at will for tasks varying from levitation to summoning otherworldly beings. For both Pegasi and Earth ponies, the magic is passive. The passive magic manifests itself in a more apparent state inside Pegasi, allowing for weather manipulation and flight. Earth pony magic forces the viewer to look deeper. The magic in this species gives them the ability to lift large loads, up to ten times their body weight. It also allows for an aptitude with dealing with nature, some examples being shepherding and farming. There is only one species in which all are manifested, see _Alicorn_ for details.

* * *

><p>"… why the hell didn't anyone tell me these things?" I said, looking up at Twi.<p>

"You didn't ask." The unicorn responded, shrugging.

"Not like I spout facts all over the place. Although," Gilda faced Twilight, "you probably do."

"HEY! That's not… oh."

"That's what I thought."

"Girls, please, you're both beautiful." I said almost automatically, then froze realizing I was actually speaking to two females. "Er. I mean… uh…" I felt my cheeks get hot, and brushed my hair into my face to try and hide it.

"Never heard that one before." Twilight murmured. Peeking through my hair, I noticed I wasn't the only one blushing. Then Gilda busted into laughter again.

"Look at him! His face is like a tomato!"

"You stopped bleeding, at the very least." Looking at my hands, I saw she was right.

"Um… that's cause all the blood is in my face."

"I dunno about that, might be headed somewhere else if you're making comments like that." Gilda chuckled.

"No—it's not—I don't even—screw it. I swear it was reflex!" I replied, blushing even harder. _More sexual innuendoes in a place like this. Ugh._

"How could that possibly be reflex? Your two friends are of opposing gender! Either way, you'd be complementing one." Twilight said, a rather amused look on her face. _Damn it. Think of something..._

"Boy Scouts, I use it to break up arguments." _POKERFACE._

"Suuuuuuure you do. And I'm Princess Celestia's secret daughter." Gilda said, stiffening for a second. Something about the insignificant motion sent a red alert off in my head. I shook the feeling away. _Why would that mean anything? Probably just a twitch or something._

"Hey, the storm let up!" Twilight said. I looked up and out the window to see the sun peeking through some of the clouds. To my surprise, a couple dissipated quickly, then I noticed the sky blue blur moving through them.

"Yeah." I glanced at the clock. Noon. "Check it out, it's already noon."

"Care to get some lunch? I know a place a short walk away." Twi offered.

"Uh," I glanced at Gilda, who looked away and gave an indecisive shrug. "I don't want to impose, you've harbored me here for a while."

"Just let me be nice."

"If you insist." I folded my wings in manually (they were stuck halfway out) pulled my jacket on, as I didn't want to go out without a shirt on despite the sheer amount of bandages on my torso.

* * *

><p>We ended up going to a café with a nice outdoor patio. There wasn't much I could eat, and by the way Gilda glanced disapprovingly at the menu, neither could she.<p>

"Hello, my name's Sir and I'll be your waiter today." An earth pony with a notepad popped up out of nowhere, a grin plastered on his face. I, raising an eyebrow, glanced at the nametag that was somehow pinned near one of his shoulders. _Sir Vent. Sir… vent? Wait… His name… is Servant? _It took me all of my willpower to keep from snickering or making a wise remark.

"Sir? Sir What?" Gilda asked. The stallion's face darkened a little bit.

"Sir Vent." He said quickly. Twilight saw the lines on Gilda's face go up a little bit, and the frown on our waiter's deepen. She quickly stepped in.

"Anyways, could I have a daisy and daffodil sandwich with some hay fries?" Sir Vent's frown was replaced with a fake cheery smile.

"Absolutely, and you?"

"Just coffee. With wild honey if you have it. Normal honey if not." I said, holding his eye contact so he would stop looking at the rest of me.

"Sure. And for you, sir?" _Sir? _I thought, coughing awkwardly at the situation.

"I'm a girl, idiot." The stallion immediately flushed.

"I'm so sorry ma'am, just the voice and it's hard," Gilda interrupted, cutting off the blustering stallion in front of her."

"To tell us apart. Yeah, we get that a lot. And I'll just have water, if you ponies don't mess it up." The waiter left, leaving us alone. We stared at each other for a while, waiting for someone else to break the silence. _So this is what happens when you put three introverts in the same place and try and make them socialize. _

"Wild honey, huh?" Gilda broke the ice.

"Read about it in a book, managed to acquire honey from a nest on a nearby farm. Surprisingly good. But that's beside the point. Why the rudeness?" I said quietly.

"I agree, that was pretty uncalled for." Twilight added her two cents, really only making things worse.

"So was calling me a dude." Gilda glowered at the lavender unicorn.

"To be fair, male and female gryphons look rather similar. And your voice is rather low compared to other mares."

"I'm not a mare. I'm a gryphoness." _So that's the term._ Twilight sighed, rolled her eyes, and looked at me and gave me a look saying something like 'You seriously want this bitch around?'

"Guys." They both glared at me. I coughed uncomfortably. "Girls. Sorry, still not used to being surrounded by those of the female gender all the time."

"I'm starting to know where you're coming from." Twilight said, smirking.

"Yeah, at least we agree on something." A somewhat mischievous smile from her as well.

"What might that be?" I inquired, scratching my head in confusion.

"You're a dork." I flushed, realizing I was the butt of their joke. _Not if I can't help it. _

"I just realized, we sound like a bad joke."

"Huh?"

"A shut-in" I pointed at Twilight, who frowned slightly, then moved on to Gilda "a…" I paused a little too long trying to think of a nice way to point out Gilda's anger issues, so I didn't. "… An outcast, and a loner walk into a café."

"You pretty much just made this that much more awkward, you know that right?" Gilda muttered. "Twit." _Ouch._

"It does sound a bit like a joke. But why the 'shut-in'?"

"Seriously? You hardly go outside, this is the first social encounter besides that party a couple weeks ago. I find it a miracle you made friends at all. Old habits die hard, and your extreme lack of socialization goes on to show it." I remarked.

"If the pot ever called the kettle black…"

"Right, because living in the woods to escape from an abusive mother is totally arbitrary. It's not like I said, 'I want to go on an adventure! Why don't I go live in the large forest a couple miles from home and school?' and did it because of that. I still went to school, from everyone else's point of view everything was fine except for maybe my hygiene." I spoke exasperatedly, somewhat frustrated at the reversal of roles.

"You still went to school? I thought you said you didn't really know what humans your age did."

"I don't. I know what Aidan does, er, did, considering he's here now. I know kind of what Cordelia does, but I'll never understand it."

"We're getting off topic. You're not exactly a social one."

"Correct. Out of necessity." I retorted. "I don't think it'd be a good idea to hand out the information that my mother's a drunkard."

"You could have just informed the authorities. Or a teacher, or someone."

"Which would have me with a foster family likely far from my old home, and my mom in prison or something. I don't know."

"How is that really a bad thing? You get food and shelter without the fear of being beaten." Gilda piped up, having been watching this whole event unfold.

"I've heard some stuff about foster homes." _And I still love my mom. _The words rang in my head for a second or two. _Do I?_

"Like?" Twilight asked.

"Like a huge set of rules and standards you have to follow." Gilda gave an understanding nod of approval, but Twilight Sparkle pressed on.

"So you find personal freedom important."

"Simply put, yes."

"Alright, coffee for the hairless diamond dog." The waiter muttered, finally back with our orders. I cleared my throat. _If I didn't know better, I'd say this guy is trying to piss us all off._

"Human. I'm a human. Haven't you heard? One of two, and I just happen to be the mean one." I remarked. _Now I know how Gilda feels. _That forced smile was still on his face, but it became gritted teeth once I finished. He set my coffee down and tried to ignore me.

"Water for the gryphon and finally, a daisy and daffodil sandwich for the lovely mare." It just so happened that I was cracking my knuckles at this point in time, which made our waiter twitch.

"Oh, thank you, but you forgot the hay fries." The compliment went right over the librarian's head. I facepalmed.

"I'm sorry _ma'am, _they'll be right out." He hissed and turned his back to us, heading back to the kitchen.

"Jeez, what's his issue?"

"We are." I chuckled. "Well, Gilda and I that is. Maybe because… oh wow, this is actually the first time I've been able to pull the race card."

"Welcome to the club, population—every non-pony in Equestria." I raised my eyebrow and took a sip of my coffee. _Not bad. A little watery, though._

"Discrimination?"

"Sometimes. There's a lot of places who won't let us in at all, and then there's others who raise costs for non-ponies."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"They really do that?"

"Do you pay any attention to world news? Or stereotypes even? Ponies stereotype gryphons as liars and thieves, and it's true. But it's because we have no money, because ponies won't hire us, because it's easier to steal than deal with the bigotry and racism we have to put up with. That's what Sir Vent over there is doing right now, he sees Brian and I and says 'Shit, there's different species here. Charge double and hope they don't notice.' I can deal with ignorance, Sparkle, but that's the kind of stuff that makes me real mad."

"You just swore." I pointed out.

"Thank you Lieutenant Obvious, anything else?"

"I thought that was just me who did that."

"Nah, we swear just like you, just not as much. Although, you make sailors look like children."

"Am I over doing it?" I asked, I wasn't aware of it.

"Just a bit." Twilight said.

"I'll work on it, if it's really that bad."

"I don't know, I think it's kind of cool."

"Hay fries." The stallion practically threw them on the table and trotted away.

"Bastard."

"Gonna have to work harder than that."

"Sorry, reflex." Truly, it was. I was nine when I had run away, and my mind had been overwhelmed with the freedom independence brought once I was established in one place. Thus, every curse word imaginable became a part of my vocabulary. "You gonna tip that ass…" _Glare at me, fine, I'll figure something out. _"… assuming mean son of a bitch." I finished quickly, then facepalmed. "Damn it. I mean, dang it."

"Should get you a swear jar, I'd make so much from that." Gilda said jokingly.

"Well, if I had any money, it wouldn't be going to that stallion, that's for sure." I looked at Twilight. "How much do you tip here?"

"Twenty percent, give or take."

"What's our bill?"

"About 21 bits. He didn't charge double or anything." Gilda put a few bits on the table. I stabbed my knife into the grain of the table, not leaving much of a mark. Twi stared at it, as did some of the passers-by.

"Give him a bit." I commanded.

"You really don't like him."

"Wrong. He really doesn't like me, I'm just repaying him in kind."

"Never thought of it like that. One bit it is." She smirked. I smirked right back, and pulled my knife out of the wood and put it back where it belonged.

"Care for a tour of Ponyville? I never really showed you around, did I?"

"… I figured most of it out anyway. Small town, I couldn't get lost if I tried. But why the hell not?"

* * *

><p>The rest of the day went by quickly. We walked through the town, Gilda flying above because she could, or so she said. <em>She just doesn't want to be seen by Dash, but wouldn't she be more visible in the air..? Whatever. Gilda logic.<em> When we got back to the library, I spent my time trying to find anything about the Elders. No such luck.

"How can there be NOTHING about these things if they're so incredibly important, evil, and dangerous?"

"Ponies probably thought they weren't real, like with the Nightmare Moon thing."

"Whatever the reason, they should still have SOMETHING. It's a miracle ponies have lasted this long."

"Even more so with gryphons."

"Why gryphons?"

"We're actually endangered, compared to ponies, our numbers are in the tens of thousands, but we're better off then a lot of other species. Minotaurs are really rare now, satyrs even more so. "

"Both of those have half human bodies, so why is it so surprising to see me? Minotaurs are men with bull heads, I think, and satyrs have goat legs instead of human legs."

"Really? Never noticed that."

"Hey Twilight!" I raised my voice to reach Twilight, who was writing at a desk on the other side of the library.

"Yeah?"

"Is hunting a recreational sport here?"

"For non-ponies, yes, but no ponies do it as far as I'm aware. Why?"

"I just realized, I'm one of two of the rarest species in Equestria. Not a good feeling to think that someone might be gunning for me just to mount me on their wall."

"Hunting sentient species is illegal in Equestria." I grimaced.

"That doesn't mean there aren't poachers. I mean, Aidan would be safe in a hospital or something, and some fanatic poacher would probably want some semblance of sport in it."

"Something you're trying to tell us? You seem to have this pretty well mapped out."

"I had to trap for food, but no, I'm not a crazy honor-bound poacher type guy, or whatever the hell the thing is. But again, poaching out of necessity, not for sport. But it does get me thinking…"

"About?"

"There's no way any of us are going to survive this, is there?

"There's a way. We just don't know it yet."

"Good point." I stared at the book in my hands, not really reading it. Just staring. I went up onto the balcony, and lay down. I don't know how long I slept, but it didn't feel like long. I was awoken by claws clacking on wood.

"Brian? Are you awake? I have an answer."

"I am now. An answer to what?" I stood up and stretched. _I want my sleeping bag back, or I'll have back problems by next week._

"You asked who I wanted to be yesterday while spouting a bunch of philosophical crap, I have an answer." _Oh, that. I didn't expect her to actually approach me and say she had an answer._

"Which is..?" I queried, she walked over to the railing, leaned over, and began to speak.

**A/N: Sorry about the cliff hanger, but I want to show you I'm still alive, and, even better (while you probably don't care), my aunt who was critically injured and paralyzed from the waist down by the car crash my uncle was killed in, is recovering and is now HOME. I find it nothing short of a miracle that she survived, so miracles do happen. In the meantime, my (fucking mandatory year and a half long) SCIENCE FAIR is done, which was another large part of the reason I have not been here typing. Again, I'm so sorry this took so long, but I have to put the necessary above the recreational. Thank you for waiting for those who ARE reading this. I wouldn't say expect too many updates, so don't expect a hell of a lot of updates. But I assure you, I AM working on this now. I have time. I have resources. I have inspiration. Now, I need the drive—and that comes from you guys. Review, peoples. Sorry again.**

**Oh, and before I forget…**

**PONY ON!**

**-Lazer**


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